What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California
Is it legal to use quotes by celebrities such as Audrey Hepburn and Marilynv Monroe on tshirts and posters? Finding information regarding copyright for quotes is becoming a hard thing to do. I don't want to do anything wrong and I have a feeling these particular celebrities' sayings are copyrighted. They have active estates with copyrights for images and things like that in place.
Whenever you intend to
profit off the words, images or names of others, you run the risk of a lawsuit if you have not obtained prior permission from the rights' holders to use their words, images or names.
Not all legal actions that could possibly be spawned by the uses of others' words, images or names in a commercial venture would be copyright infringement-based. There are also privacy laws, publicity rights laws, trademark laws, defamation laws. . . . a whole host of laws. . . . . that can come into play.
Although you can often use the quotes of
dead celebrities, if there are no copyrights or trademark rights attached to, or publicity rights lingering in, their names or words, it is not unusual to have assorted rights retained by the estates of the dead celebrities.
Because there are no easy answers to a question like yours, as you have already discovered with your own research into the matter, you would be smart to have an IP attorney in your area personally review the specifics of your business venture. The attorney can fully research all aspects of your intended uses and then advise you accordingly.
Having a professional review your business plans prior to start-up would be wise, anyway, to make sure there are no other areas that might create legal headaches for you.
Good luck.
