Trump may have violated copyright law by selling mugshot merchandise
https://nypost.com/2023/09/05/trump-...mugshot-merch/
Donald Trump’s campaign may have violated United States copyright law by selling merchandise featuring the former president’s mugshot, legal experts have warned.
The Republican front-runner’s campaign wasted no time capitalizing off the mugshot made of him at the Fulton County Jail in Atlanta, featuring the former president scowling into the camera.
Merchandise emblazoned with the historic photo and the slogan “Never surrender” was quickly hawked for between $12 and $34.
Within just three days, the rump campaign made $7.1 million off the merch, which included T-shirts, mugs, koozies and bumper stickers.
But legal scholars say that money may rightfully belong to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, which took the photo, as US copyright law stipulates that the law enforcement agency that takes a mugshot is the legal owner of it.