I've been asked to do a Groom's cake of a Transformer (movie/cartoon) but am cautious of copyright infringement. Would it apply to this, or should/can I do a generic robot-transformer-thing? I'm a bit confused seeing all the Groom's cakes on here of:

Snickers
Star Wars... etc. "Coach & Channel, LV, etc. purse cakes"...
** I'm guessing these were "sold" since there are SO many of them in the galleries. I see these on professional websites so I'm a bit confused.

Is this one of those times I can "ask" for one time permission and not be asked to pay $10,000.00???

Thank you

Yes, before I started making my own cakes, around he time the Transformers movie came out in theaters, no bakery in the area would make my step son a transformers cake bc of copyright laws. Is this one of those things where you could make a cake with somewhat generic scenes on it or colors or whatever and tell the groom he can add whatever toppers he wants?

I contacted the person who wants to place the order and explained copyright laws telling her I'd *ask* permission. If not, I'd do a generic robot-changer-thingy if I find out that's legal. She seemed to understand.

So are most of the cakes on here in the galleries that use "brand names, logos, images, etc) all *free* demonstration cakes, or did everyone obtain permission? I'm asking because it would be extremely encouraging to read that it can be done (without breaking the bank) for a small grooms cake.

Thanks ~

I personally have made character cakes (the only ones I have made are Thing 1 and Thing 2 and Mario), but only for family and I didnt sell them. Other than that I dont know, I havent looked too much into it. Hopefully someone else can lead you in the right direction.

There's a good chance that many of them were sold but that doesn't mean it was legal or that the bakers weren't risking fines.

I had a transformer-ish groom's cake for my wedding. It was not quite a transformer, but still copyrighted. My baker asked that we supply a letter from the company stating that it was ok to use the image. No letter, no cake. Luckily, we were able to obtain one, but I think this is a good practice for your sanity. If the customer wants something that's copyrighted, let them deal with getting the rights. If they can't, then make something that is generic that they can add too. HTH!

Thanks for the advice. I went onto Hasbro's website but it was so confusing... Do you happen to know where they obtained that letter? I'm thinking this may be too much work for the money...

We found our image online and through a smaller company so my husband just emailed them for the rights. With Hasbro, it might be easier to contact their customer services to begin with. They should be able to direct you to who you would need to contact, I would assume the legal department. From there, I can only imagine the loop holes. Plus, have you taken into account that they may be a fee for the rights? If there is, please make sure that the bride and groom cover these costs.