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\nSocks with your face on them are funny. Socks with someone else’s cartoon mouse on them are a legal problem. This Intellectual Property Policy explains what belongs to Sock Joy, what stays yours when you send us a photo, what we will not print and how to tell us if you think something on sockjoy.shop uses your rights without permission. For the formal copyright notice and counter-notice process, see our DMCA page.
\nEverything we created for the store is protected by copyright, trademark and other intellectual property laws. That includes:
\nIf you spot Sock Joy product photos, descriptions or designs on another website or listing, we would be grateful if you let us know at support@sockjoy.shop. A link and a screenshot are enough. Please do not buy from a listing just because it shows our images, as we cannot help with orders placed anywhere other than sockjoy.shop.
\nPersonalisation at Sock Joy works through the order notes at checkout. You type names and dates and paste a photo link, and we fetch the image to print it. Here is how ownership works.
\nSending us a photo does not transfer its copyright to Sock Joy. A photo you took of your dog remains yours. You give us a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free permission to copy, crop, resize and print it solely to make, ship and support your order. We do not use it in advertising, add it to our catalogue or sell it to other customers. The photos we fetch from your links are deleted 30 days after delivery, as described in our Privacy Policy.
\nWhen you place an order, you confirm that:
\nThis matters most for professional photos. A family portrait or wedding photo may belong to the photographer even though you are in it. If in doubt, ask the photographer, or choose a photo you took yourself.
\nNames of your family, partner or pet, birthdays, wedding dates and memorial years are personal details rather than intellectual property, and you are welcome to use them. Please make sure the people involved would be happy to see them on socks. Memorial socks in particular deserve a second look at spelling and dates before you order, because we print exactly what the notes say and do not send a proof.
\nGroomsmen socks, office retirement socks and family packs often carry several faces. The person placing the order is responsible for checking that everyone pictured has agreed. A quick message in the group chat (“Okay if your face goes on Dave’s retirement socks?”) saves an awkward moment later. If someone pictured asks us not to print their image before production starts, we will pause the item and contact the person who ordered.
\nOur socks are personalized with your own photos and text, or carry original Sock Joy designs. We do not sell officially licensed merchandise, and we do not print other people’s protected characters, logos or likenesses. If your order notes ask for any of the following, we will email you and either use a different image you send or cancel that item with a full refund.
\n| We do not print | \nExamples | \nTry instead | \n
|---|---|---|
| Licensed characters | \nCartoon, film, video game or comic characters | \nA photo of your child dressed up as their favourite hero | \n
| Team logos and league marks | \nProfessional or college sports team crests, mascots and names used as logos | \nA photo of the family in team colours, without visible logos | \n
| Brand logos and trademarks | \nCompany logos, product logos, fashion brand marks | \nYour own text or a name in our standard lettering | \n
| Celebrity faces | \nActors, musicians, athletes, influencers, public figures | \nYour own face, or a friend’s face with their permission | \n
| Artwork you did not make | \nIllustrations, paintings, memes and stock photos found online | \nYour own drawing or a photo you took | \n
We also refuse hateful, harassing and explicit content, as set out in our Terms of Service. Illusion prints, chicken feet and other silly designs from our funny feet socks collection are our own designs and are fine to order.
\nPhotos from real life often include a logo: a team shirt at a game, a branded mug on the table. If a logo is small and incidental, for example a corner of a T-shirt, we may print the photo as it is. If the logo is the main subject, or would be large and clear on the sock, we will ask you for a different photo. When we are not sure, we ask rather than guess.
\nHolidays and occasions themselves belong to everyone. Christmas trees, snowflakes, hearts, birthday cakes, wedding rings and graduation caps are fine, and our holiday socks and occasion socks are built around them. What we avoid is the branded version: a specific film’s snowman, a cartoon reindeer from a TV special or a sports league’s championship logo. If you are not sure whether something counts, ask us before ordering.
\nWe check order notes before printing and decline requests that clearly use someone else’s protected work. We cannot know who took every family snapshot, so we also rely on rights owners to tell us when something slips through. When we learn that a product page, image or order may infringe someone’s rights, we review it promptly and remove or refuse it where appropriate. Other names and marks that might be mentioned on the site belong to their owners, and mentioning them does not mean those owners endorse Sock Joy.
\nIf you believe something on sockjoy.shop, or socks made by Sock Joy, uses your trademark, copyright, likeness or other right without permission, email support@sockjoy.shop with the subject “IP concern”, or write to Sock Joy, 45 Morton St, New York, NY 10014, US. Please include:
\nFor copyright claims, please follow the six-element notice described on our DMCA page, so we can handle your notice under that process.
\n| Step | \nWhat happens | \n
|---|---|
| Acknowledge | \nWe confirm we have your report within 24 hours on business days. | \n
| Review | \nWe look at the page, image or order and the information you sent. If something is missing, we ask before deciding. | \n
| Act | \nIf the report is valid, we remove or change the page or image, or stop and refuse the print job, and delete our copy of the customer’s photo. | \n
| Inform | \nWe tell you what we did. If a customer supplied the material, we let them know it cannot be used. | \n
| Prevent | \nWe refuse future orders that use the same material, and we stop working with customers who repeatedly send infringing content. | \n
If socks have already been delivered, we cannot recall them, but we can make sure the material is not used again.
\nIf we pause or decline your order because of a rights concern, we email you with the reason. You can send a different photo or text, or we cancel the affected item and refund it in full. If you believe the concern is mistaken, for example you are the photographer, reply with whatever shows your permission and we will look again. Please remember that a pause can affect delivery timing for a gift date, so the quickest route is often a different photo. If you have already received socks and want to return them, our Returns & Exchanges Policy applies.
\nA child’s crayon drawing of the family cat or Grandpa’s handwritten signature can make a lovely sock. If you or your family made it, it is yours to use. Paste a clear, well-lit photo of the drawing into the order notes as a link. The drawing stays yours, and our permission to print it covers your order only, exactly as with any other photo.
\nIf you send us an idea for a new sock design, collection or feature, we may use it without owing you payment. We never publish your name, photos or personal details without your permission.
\nTo ask for permission to use our content, to report a concern or to ask a question about this policy, email support@sockjoy.shop. We reply within 24 hours on business days. Our postal address is Sock Joy, 45 Morton St, New York, NY 10014, US. For general help, visit Contact Us or the Help Center.
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