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Trademark Issues: Can You Make & Sell Dr. Seuss Themed Products?

Filed Under: Copyright and Trademarks

With Christmas coming, I know that so many craft businesses are currently working on holiday products. Today is a great day to talk about making handmade products related to Dr. Seuss and his characters; like the Grinch, the Lorax, Cindy Lou Who, Thing One and Thing Two, Sam-I-Am, and many more.

Can You Make and Sell Dr. Seuss Products?

Unfortunately, Dr. Seuss designs and quotes are not in the public domain and cannot be used on products for sale without written permission from Dr. Seuss Enterprises. Since Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) passed away in 1991, all licensing agreements are handled though Random House.

Licensing Information

I emailed Random House for information about the possibility of at home craft businesses obtaining a license to legally use Dr. Seuss quotes and images in products. I immediately received a generic response that included this statement:

“Please know that Dr. Seuss text, characters, and images are protected by copyright and trademark law and may not be used without the prior written consent of Dr. Seuss Enterprises.”

I also received an email back a few hours later from Jenna Marson, Licensing & Marketing Coordinator, that basically stated that Dr. Seuss Enterprises was not currently offering licenses and “due to contractual restrictions with our current licensees who produce items in these categories” they could not discuss requirements to get a license.

In response to Jenna, I asked if Dr. Seuss Enterprises ever offered licenses to small or home based businesses and what the hypothetical requirements would be. My email went unanswered.

If you’d like to reach out to Random House for information on licensing Dr. Seuss properties for your Silhouette or Cricut small business, reach them through this page.

I will continue to update this post if I receive additional information from Random House/Dr. Seuss Enterprises. In the meantime, know that selling handmade Dr. Seuss themed products without a licensing deal is an infringement and is illegal.

Can You Make and Sell Handmade Grinch and Other Dr. Seuss Products with Your Silhouette Portrait or Cameo and Cricut Explore or Maker - by cuttingforbusiness.com

Note: All images used in the featured image for this article were downloaded from Etsy. This is within copyright guidelines because this post is considered educational material.

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Comments

  1. Donna C says

    November 16, 2017 at 8:53 am

    Hello Christine,
    Thanks for keeping us informed about various copyright violations!! Are quotes from Dr Seuss included in the copyright, or is it just images?
    Just for fun I searched Etsy for Dr. Seuss and there are over 17,700 products!!! I’m guessing these aren’t all in copyright violation.
    Thanks again!
    Donna

    Reply
    • Christine says

      November 16, 2017 at 10:11 am

      Dr. Seuss Enterprises has noted this: “Please know that Dr. Seuss text, characters, and images are protected by copyright and trademark law and many not be used without the prior written consent of Dr. Seuss Enterprises.” According to them, this includes text.

      Reply
  2. Karyn says

    November 16, 2017 at 9:30 am

    I am assuming the same for Disney font, characters, quotes, etc. ?

    Reply
    • Christine says

      November 16, 2017 at 10:11 am

      Here’s the Disney post: https://cuttingforbusiness.com/2015/01/22/trademarks-and-your-cutting-business-can-i-make-and-sell-disney-items/

      Reply
  3. Wendy Biagioni says

    March 26, 2018 at 9:12 am

    Hi Christine.
    Is this to say that you can use them for yourself but not to sell?
    I understood that it would be against copyright to copy for any reason.

    Can you confirm this either way please?

    Reply
    • Christine says

      April 2, 2018 at 8:21 am

      Trademarks are always trademarks whether it is personal use or commercial use. When you infringe on a trademark for personal use, it’s unlikely that the company will take any action against you because no money is exchanging hands.

      Reply
  4. Diane says

    February 8, 2020 at 1:21 pm

    I am wondering the following: If a person purchases a costume of the Cat in the Hat – wears it, and does a photoshoot with other children is that against rules or guidelines anywhere? I am asking cuz several of us wanted to do a themed photo shoot for reading week. Decorate the room in our own way but have the guy dressed in the custume with kids coming for the fun of it. Is this allowed? It would be personal use not selling the photo’s by any means at all – I have tried to find links on line for hours to send a inquiry no luck at all.

    Reply
    • Christine, Cutting for Business says

      February 13, 2020 at 9:58 am

      I’m sorry, I’m not versed in Photography laws. If you are using in a school setting, that isn’t usually Personal Use. Best thing you can do is contact Random House and ask.

      Reply
    • Nicole Hively says

      February 24, 2021 at 4:28 pm

      Local photographers here got in trouble over Christmas using grinch in photography

      Reply
  5. Joyce McLaurin says

    November 14, 2020 at 5:48 pm

    This is in line with NFL and College material being sold in retail stores with only a small signage stating for personal use only. I know during this pandemic we are all living in I see sports team related face masks everywhere for sale, Facebook, Instagram, Etsy and local neighborhood garage sales. I as a small home based business find it sad that as a person who refuses to break the law it sure would be easy to follow suit just to make a sale in these hard times.

    Reply
    • Christine, Cutting for Business says

      November 20, 2020 at 8:01 am

      I’ve seen it a lot more this year as well.

      Reply
  6. Kimi Fletcher says

    November 20, 2020 at 9:13 am

    THANK YOU! I sell on Etsy and have been seeing an increasing amount of Dr. Seuss & Disney trademark infringement. You explain the topic so much better than I can (in both articles). I will be sure to direct my fellow Etsy makers here if need be.

    Reply
    • Christine, Cutting for Business says

      November 20, 2020 at 9:30 am

      Happy to help!

      Reply
  7. Lisa Horne says

    November 29, 2020 at 5:43 pm

    How in the world do you get in touch with someone about a license to use artwork? Random House runs in circles. Seussville no longer has a link available for that info. Can you please direct me to where I can actually communicate with someone about licensing information for grinch artwork?

    Reply
    • Christine, Cutting for Business says

      November 29, 2020 at 8:36 pm

      Hello! I’m sorry to hear that contacting Random House is proving to be difficult. Alternatively, you could pull Grinch related trademarks from the TESS database and use the contact information listed in TESS. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  8. Jen says

    January 12, 2021 at 11:39 am

    Question I have is, I own a cricut for the specific purpose of making designer items for myself to wear. Like chanel masks,and Louis Vuitton masks and shirts and shoes. I dont sell these items but would like to showcase them on a blog page or a facebook group of my own. Can I get sued for this even though I dont take orders for selling.

    Reply
    • Christine, Cutting for Business says

      February 22, 2021 at 1:48 pm

      Hello! Unfortunately, yes. When using them to promote a blog or Facebook page, it is considered commercial use.

      Reply

Comments on Cutting for Business are moderated before posting. This ensures that this blog does not get overrun by spam or inappropriate comments. Please allow up to 7 days before you'll see your comment. Thanks, Christine

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