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Posted Dec 15th, 2011
I have come up with a graphic design for shirts that I am interested in marketing and protecting,
but have some questions.

Additional Details:
The design on the front is entirely my own. The back is what I am unsure about. I modified a
digital version of a National Park map. From what I could find, these maps are in the public
domain. The site below says that unless otherwise stated, the map is in the public domain. I
cannot find any statement of that sort. http://www.nps.gov/disclaimer.htm The map is the [1.8
MB PDF] detailed park map found here: http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/maps.htm If it
turns out to be protected, then do my modifications make it my own creation? Thanks for your
help!
Legal Topic Area: Intellectual Property in CA

With extremely limited exceptions, works of authorship created by the U.S. government are not subject to copyright. There exists the possibility that the maps were created by a private party who owns the copyright, but that seems unlikely. If you are in doubt about your right to use the maps, ask the Park Service for permission.


Answered on Dec 16th, 2011 at 6:43pm