Vintage T-Shirt Forum & Community Authentication Appraisals

Hi there can anyone tell my why one of these shirts has a copyright and the other dosnt.. Looking at then there identical i every what the print colors quality tags ect.. I've never seen a bootleg that good... I own a iron maiden stranger In a strange land jersey without copyright and im just saying it would have to be the best bootleg in the known universe.. So why do some shirts have it and some do not??? Here are some eBay pics for a side by side comparison please tell me what you think..

Hi Justintime, I have a similar query just a few posts before yours with Metallica shirts and the same query! Have you any idea where your shirts originally came from? Wondering if its a print error or maybe licencing from particular countries?

I wouldn't get too concerned with copyright lines. Think its a myth that it somehow makes a tee genuine or fake. I dont know what the explanation is - but think about it - if you were copying a tee - that line would be the least painstaking detail - you would just select a matching font and type. Perhaps its something regarding printing in different regions or in another year.

The absence of a copyright line does not mean the artwork wasnt registered and isnt protected against infringement. The idea that if a counterfeitter omits this line they are somehow finding a loophole in infringement doesn't make any sense as its the design thats registered - and still is regardless of the presence of the line.

I would way more concerned with details in the accuracy of the print - aspects that are way more challenging to duplicate. Are the colors right? the shade and the number of colors used? are the fine details in the artwork correct?

Hi Jimmy, its a strange one alright but I like your thinking! I have a number of shirts, coincidentally all from Belfast (Queensryche, Metallica and Wasp) all missing copyright. Prints are perfect and purchased in the venue. It might be more a common practice than I thought.

thank you for the response.. I know the shirt I own is old just buy how it feels. And the original owner who I bought it from tells me he purchased it at the concert in 1988 my question is why? They print hundreds of shirts maybe thousands at a time.. Why would they change the print?? if these are somehow different like seconds, misprint or maybe they didn't pass some type of quality control? Or Could the printer have a separate screen for the copyright line and forgot it?? Haha either way I wish I knew cause I dont understand why this would be...

Its a good question. Like the sewn in tag...the mystery continues.