Every month I am asked to paint a piggy bank with a sports logo, college mascot or cartoon character. Every month I say no.
Why? Because these images are copyrighted and I do not have the license to reproduce them. It is illegal for these images to be sold on unlicensed items, and I could be sued.
My piggy banks would look so cute painted as various NFL helmets, and I could make a lot of money painting these. I have to admit it is tempting. But, it is not worth the chance of losing my business. The business I have worked so hard at for over 20 years.
It baffles me the number of sellers on the web and etsy who do paint licensed characters and logos. It is illegal. Yet they continue to do so. To me, it is unethical.
Whether or not a customer begs you to paint a licensed image is beside the point. It is against the law and you should have the integrity to tell the customer that.
Is an easy buck worth the chance of a lawsuit? For me, it's not.
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