Intellectual Property and Publicity Rights

At Mildly Offensive Tees, we respect intellectual property rights — ours, yours, and everyone else’s. We design original work and expect that any designs associated with our store are either:

• Created by us,
• Created by artists who work directly with us, or
• Properly licensed/authorized to be used.

That said, no one can pre-screen every single design on the internet. On rare occasions, a design may slip through that infringes on someone else’s intellectual property or publicity rights. To handle that, we comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), which provides a clear process for rights holders to submit a claim of infringement.

If you’d like to read the DMCA in full (warning: it’s about as fun as watching paint dry), you can find it here: www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf

Notice and Takedown Procedure

We follow U.S. intellectual property law, including the DMCA, to handle infringement claims. If you believe your content has been used on our site without authorization, you can submit a Notice and Takedown Report to our designated agent. Your notice must include the following:

1. An electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the rights owner.
2. A description of the work you believe has been infringed.
3. A description of where the allegedly infringing content is located on our site.
4. Your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address.
5. A statement, in good faith, that the disputed use is not authorized by the rights owner, its agent, or the law.
6. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information you’ve provided is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the rights owner.

👉 Please send Notice and Takedown requests to: legal@mildlyoffensivetees.com

We may suspend or terminate accounts, listings, or content that we believe deliberately or repeatedly violates the rights of others.

If Your Work Has Been Removed

If one of your designs or listings has been taken down because of a Notice and Takedown Report, please understand:

• Removal does not necessarily mean your work is “illegal” or a direct copy.
• Sometimes designs may contain elements (like logos, likenesses, or phrases) that trigger rights claims.
• We are legally required to act on valid reports filed in accordance with the DMCA.

You have the right to challenge a takedown if you believe it was made in error.

Filing a Counter-Notice

If you believe your content was removed by mistake or misidentification, you can file a Counter-Notice that includes:

1. An electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the rights holder.
2. Identification of the content that was removed, including the URL where it appeared.
3. Your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address.
4. A statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court where you live (or California if you live outside the U.S.) and that you’ll accept service of process from the original complainant.
5. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that you believe the content was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification.

Counter-Notices should be sent to: legal@mildlyoffensivetees.com

If your counter-notice is valid, we may forward it to the complainant. At that point, they may decide to pursue legal action. If they do not act within 14 days, you can request reinstatement of your work, provided it also complies with our Terms of Service and IP/Publicity Rights Policy.

👉 Bottom line: We respect creators and their work. If something slips through, we’ll handle it fairly, legally, and as quickly as possible.