Hi gang. I'm not an attorney, but have dabbled in US law from time to time.
So with the usual disclaimer, here's my take on the situation:
1. Copyright = copyright. 50 years from 1978 means you cannot legally
reproduce the image without permission until 2028, at which time Haynes may
renew the copyright for another 50 years.
2. Those who wear the T-shirt are exempt from prosecution unless they
knew that the item was bootleg at the time of purchase. Liability falls on
the manufacturer and/or distributor.
3. In such small quantities, Haynes probably will not have a problem,
especially if the item is not "origianally" intended for sale. HOWEVER, they
might...which means itms 1 and 2 above stand in the eyes of the Court and
John & Eric are in deep poop.
My advice: call or write to Haynes. Say that you and a few chums would
like to use the photo on T-shirts for your group and all share in the cost of
producing them. Assure them that you plan on printing a dozen or so and they
will not be available for sale to anyone outside your group and that you will
only make one production run and then destroy the screen. Haynes will
probably allow you to do because it's such a small-beans situation and they
have more important things to worry about.
If they don't give you permission, then they probably would be the type
to prosecute if they caught you in one...which takes us back to the top of
this e-mail.
Of course, this is just my opinion...
...and I'll take a Large.
Scott (& Hobbs 77 Spit, and Rufio 75 Spit)
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