Hi all,

One day I would like to start selling cakes and have my own little cake shop. My question is....How do I get copywright permission to use characters like....Cinderella, Dora, Spider-man, Elmo Mickey Mouse etc.

The list can go on and on and on....If I want to use a character, how do I go about getting permission to do so???


Thank You..

You have to contact Disney/Pixar for most of the ones that you mentioned and from what I hear you'll probably never get permission from them.

Hello

You have to contact the company that holds the copywrite and ask for their permission. Some people recommend getting a lawyer to do this for you to make sure you get a license to cover everything you want it to. I found this link for disney, hope it helps:

https://www.disneyconsumerproducts.com/Home/display.jsp?contentId=dcp_home_help_help_become_licensee_en&forPrint=false&language=en&preview=false®ion=0

I really wonder how many people who sell cakes using a copyright character really have their permission???

For those of you who do have permission, was it expensive??

I doubt many people actually have it. I try to avoid doing anything like that, but I have one woman who likes characters for her children, and she's a friend, so I bend my rules for her. (and, honestly, I've only done two for her). But I'm trying not to make that a habit.

I've contacted Disney and they explicitly told me there was a better chance that pigs would fly over my rooftop..... okay, I'm paraphrasing. The explanation was that they only offer the rights to large companies (such as Walmart) and the little guys are out of luck. From my understanding, we are able to decorate with toys (as they still receive the royalties) or decopac kits. Walmart, Costco, and other large bakeries apparently have strict guidelines as to how their finished cakes can look which is why they are only able to offer decopac or edible image cakes. Bakeries like Duff's and Cakeboss get these rights for one-time use and it helps that TLC or the Food network is asking for those rights.......

That sucks! What about us "little" people?? =)

Oh well. I guess if I am going to do a cake that has a copyright cake it will be FREE and for someone in my family....


Thanks,

The only copyright items that i have seen for cakes you can purchase through DecoPac or BakeryCrafts (these are the same cake "kits" that wal-mart and other grocery stores use) They also have edible images. These two companies have worked with the license holder to get approved items for people to use on cakes and sell.

Just be warned though, whatever the picture that comes with the kit shows is how the cakes is supposed to be decorated, you're not suppose to change any of the details.