Intellectual property has been a tricky issue with the move from old media to new media. Fan-made items, whether sci-fi fiction, t-shirts or films have existed long before the internet. However, it has long been a sticky issue, since the copyrights and intellectual property are owned by someone other than the fan.
George Lucas has long allowed fans to make their own Star Wars fan films, as can be seen here on YouTube, as long as they did not profit from them. The rock band Phish has sued T-shirt makers in the past over the sale of shirts with their logo and title of songs, even though fans may have found them more creative than the official offerings.
That is why the current deal between ABC and Cafe Press is groundbreaking. Fans are allowed to upload shirt designs based on the tv show LOST to their website, sell them and profit from them.
So what kind of shirt do you want to make?
