My question is one of originality. Too often a designer has been taking previously published photographs or designs and using them on t-shirts with a worn feel and acting as if they are original. Does Friend or Foe have the rights to use these photographs?

MC–

We do have the permission to use images. I should know, I am the graphic designer. We(The FriendorFoe® crew) have taken great pains to get the rights and permissions to take artistic license with such iconic art and album sleeves. we are not here to re-make concert tour t-shirts or simply transfer the original album art onto a basic tee blank. FriendorFoe® takes the art down to the most basic element and redefines it with the evocation of emotion, soul and a visual approach that best suits each tee graphic. Some images are so strong, no supplemental art is needed while others get a more graphically assisted approach. All for the cause of striking images and authentic passion for the genre.

$60.00! FOR A T-SHIRT?
That’s crazy.

Bounds-
Thank you for responding to my statement.
It is good to hear that you actually have received the rights to use these images. The majority of t-shirts that are similar to yours (thought I do understand that yours are different) don’t get permission and don’t care. It’s a shame that such designers & companies get away with this. The Monk Typographic t-shirt is nice it shows a type treatment that one could say mimics Monks minimalist piano style, I just feel that the rest of them rely too much on the artist (musician) and not on the design that was created with the artist in mind. That is just my opinion though.

MC-

You have the right to your opinion, but to our defense…the peoplewe get permission from have the rights to dictate how far we can “artistically enhance” the original art, so I am sort of limited by that rule. There are new designs coming that I flat out throw the rule out the window and did what I felt was right for the artist and let the chips fall where they may. To my suprise they were pretty much all accepted. Check them out in the next few months. As for Brad Knapp…I understand the thought of a $60.00 dollar tee seems high, but we are not a mid-tier brand. We are a higher end brand which means the tee we screen on is a specialty fit tee and custom dyed and washed then washed again in a pricey softening soultion. These are limited runs with a smaller overhead, so the price is warranted. Compare it to a $20.00 Target or Urban Outfitter tee and feel the differences etc. They are beating down our door for our tee blank and we refuse to “sell out” to those markets.

These are the greatest t-shirts! I have 5 or 6 and they are the first thing I go to in my closet. The fit is great for me (6′4″, 250 lbs), the fabric is the best, and the shirts themselves receive comments every time I wear them. They are well worth the $60 pricetag.

Hello-
I’d like to ask if you made any efforts to get permission to sell U2 merchandise. I am in litigation (I’m a lawyer – but a nice one, I swear) It is against some one who copied the U2 official site. He sells t-shirts and only changes one character in his address. He rips off people who don’t know better because he takes their money and doesn’t deliver the shirts. I’m doing this case for free. He has said he has no permission from U2, but I need something more to present to the court. He won’t stop. Did you make attempts to get permission? If so who did you contact and can you give me as much info as possible? I’d truly appreciate it. We don’t need people like this online, let alone on Amazon and Ebay. I’m dealing with them also.
Thanks again. Any answer is appreciated