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\nMug Loft respects the work of artists, illustrators, photographers and writers, and we expect the same respect for ours. This page explains how to tell us if you believe something on mugloft.com, including a design printed on one of our mugs or an image or text on a page, infringes a copyright you own, and how we respond. It follows the notice-and-takedown process of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Mug Loft is a single-brand shop: we do not host third-party sellers, so every listing on the site is our own, and notices come straight to us. Send notices to support@mugloft.com with “Copyright notice” in the subject line.
\nThis process is for copyright: original creative works such as illustrations, lettering artwork, photographs, patterns and written text. Typical examples on a mug shop are a design that copies an illustrator’s artwork, a product photo taken from another site, or a poem or quote printed without permission. Concerns about trademarks (brand names, logos, sports team marks), characters or other intellectual property are handled under our Intellectual Property Policy, which uses a very similar process.
\nIf you simply want to ask whether a particular design may be used, or you are an artist interested in licensing work to us, write to the same email address; you do not need to send a formal notice.
\nA notice is most useful, and can be acted on fastest, when it contains all of the following:
\nPlease send each notice in plain text or as a PDF attachment, and include all relevant URLs in one message if several items are involved. Incomplete notices are not ignored; we will write back and ask for what is missing, but complete notices are resolved faster.
\n| Step | \nWhat we do | \nTypical timing | \n
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledge | \nConfirm receipt and give you a reference | \nWithin 1 business day | \n
| Review | \nCheck the notice is complete and compare the works | \nPromptly, usually within a few business days | \n
| Disable access | \nRemove or hide the listing, image or text that appears to infringe | \nAs soon as the review supports it | \n
| Stop production | \nWithdraw the design from printing, including for pending orders | \nAt the same time | \n
| Report back | \nTell you what we did and give you any follow-up information | \nWhen the action is complete | \n
Because every design on the site is our own listing, taking a design down also means we stop printing it. If orders containing the design have been placed but not yet printed, we contact those customers, offer an alternative design and refund the order in full if they prefer, so no customer is left without an explanation.
\nIf material we published was removed because of a notice and you believe that was a mistake or a misidentification, for example because the work was licensed or created independently, you can send a counter-notice. It should include:
\nWhen we receive a valid counter-notice, we forward it to the person who sent the original notice. Unless they tell us within 10 to 14 business days that they have filed a court action, we may restore the material. In practice, because the material on our site is our own, counter-notices are rare; when we use licensed artwork we keep the licence on file and can usually resolve a disagreement directly with the claimant.
\nThe artwork on Mug Loft mugs is either created for us, licensed from its creator, or based on material that is in the public domain. Our rule is that a design only goes live once we have the right to print and sell it, and that we keep a record of where each design comes from. Despite that care, mistakes can happen, for example when an artist sells the same file through more than one channel without telling us about an exclusive agreement. That is exactly why this process exists, and why we respond quickly.
\nWhen a customer enters personalisation text, the customer is responsible for having the right to use it. We do not knowingly print copyrighted lyrics, poems, artwork or characters supplied through personalisation fields, and our team declines requests that clearly involve someone else’s protected work. If you believe a mug we printed for a customer used your work, send a notice in the usual way. We will look into it, and we will not print that content again.
\nIf a supplier or artist who provides designs to us is the source of repeated valid notices, we stop working with them. If a customer repeatedly submits personalisation requests that infringe others’ rights, we may refuse further orders from that customer.
\nNot every resemblance is an infringement. Some works are in the public domain because their copyright has expired, such as many nineteenth-century botanical prints. Short common phrases and simple shapes are generally not protected by copyright on their own. And some uses may be permitted as fair use or under a licence. When we receive a notice about material we believe falls into one of these categories, we still take it seriously: we explain our reasoning to the person who sent the notice, share licence details where we are able to, and if there is genuine doubt we lean towards removing the design while the question is resolved.
\nAn illustrator finds a floral pattern on one of our latte mugs that looks like their work. They email us the link to their original post and our product URL with the required statements. We acknowledge the notice, hide the product while we check our licence records, and either show that the pattern was licensed from them through an authorised channel or remove it permanently and stop printing it.
\nA photographer notices that a lifestyle photo on one of our pages is theirs. We remove the photo as soon as we confirm it is the same image, and replace it with our own photography.
\nAn author’s representative tells us that a line printed on a mug comes from a recent novel. We remove the design and stop printing it, and we contact customers with unprinted orders.
\nWhen we pass a counter-notice to the person who sent the original notice, or a notice to a supplier who provided a design, it may include the contact details in that notice, because the law expects the parties to be able to reach each other. We share nothing else about you, and we handle all contact details according to our Privacy Policy.
\nIf you believe an infringing design is causing you ongoing harm, for example because it is being promoted heavily during a busy gift season, say so in the subject line (“Copyright notice – urgent”). We read every notice on the business day it arrives and prioritise urgent ones. Where the notice is complete and the match is clear, we can usually disable access to the listing the same day, while the full review continues.
\nWe keep a copy of every notice, counter-notice and our response for at least 3 years. These records help us spot repeat problems, answer follow-up questions from rights holders and show, if ever needed, that we acted promptly and in good faith. They are stored securely and used only for handling intellectual property matters.
\nPlease only send a notice if you are the owner of the work or authorised to act for the owner. Under US law, a person who knowingly makes a material misrepresentation in a notice or counter-notice may be liable for damages, including costs and attorneys’ fees. If you are unsure whether something is an infringement, consider seeking legal advice first, or simply ask us a question informally.
\nThe Mug Loft name, logo, site text, product photos and original mug designs are protected too. If you see our designs or photos used elsewhere without permission, we would appreciate a short email with the link. Reuse of our content is covered by our Terms of Service.
\nCopyright notices and counter-notices: support@mugloft.com (subject “Copyright notice”) or by post to Mug Loft, 148 S Wisconsin St, Burlington, WI 53105, US. For other questions, use our Contact Us page or the Help Center.
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