Is Zazzle ok with Alligator Alcatraz merch being sold?
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07-02-2025 09:07 AM
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07-02-2025 09:51 AM
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07-02-2025 11:31 AM - edited 07-02-2025 11:33 AM
Maybe it's been taken down? I saw some earlier, that's why I asked the question. I wasn't sure if it had just slipped through the cracks or was allowed or just hadn't been taken down yet.
EDIT: There is still merch up. 😥
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07-02-2025 01:11 PM
I just looked, 221 results for the term, mostly by the same few designers. Reading the descriptions, I don't think they have any idea what this is, they are so inappropriate. Hilarious T-shirt for tourists ... funny parody of Alcatraz with an alligator escaping ... great gift for reptile lovers .... I mean really?
But FYI - a dentist from Florida filed June 30 to trademark 'alligator alcatraz' for the following categories
"The trademark application has been accepted by the Office (has met the minimum filing requirements) and has not yet been assigned to an examiner."
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07-02-2025 01:20 PM
So many things to roll eyes over... Maybe he's doing it to keep people from profiting off the term, but somehow I doubt that. Sounds like he's got PODs quite covered there...
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07-03-2025 08:51 AM
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07-03-2025 10:52 AM
I did a Google search yesterday on the term Alligator Alcatraz and saw many links to a GOP Merch Site in FL selling tshirts and other merch with this term.
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07-03-2025 11:21 AM
I think you're absolutely right that the designers are ignorant about what they're actually referring to. They caught the name on the internet, thought it had a ring to it, and are now repeating it in products. It reminds me of my son coming home from grammar school one day, repeating a truly vulgar word he'd heard. I asked him to define the word, he couldn't, and I him he shouldn't use a word he couldn't define. Problem solved. Maybe those people ought to be asked the same question.
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07-03-2025 05:42 AM
Poor taste seems all the rage these days, most of it being on the internet.
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07-03-2025 11:30 AM
@MasterpieceCafe @ColsCreations I understand I‘m not allowed to post links to a listing in the forum but I wonder not only about the hateful message content but also about the kind of listing this is in general? Isn’t this considered keyword stuffing? It’s hateful and spammy (way exceeding just being in poor taste in my opinion). 👎🏽 And up to 258 listings right now. 💔 😐
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07-03-2025 01:40 PM
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07-05-2025 10:04 PM
@MasterpieceCafe Right? I had to look twice too. At least I just learned from an other forum post here that Zazzle is actually ignoring our descriptions. I didn't know that.
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07-08-2025 09:13 AM
I am not sure what you mean by that...can you clarify? link to the post you referred to?
how can Zazzle ignore the descriptions?
I thought the descriptions were a MAJOR part of how designs were found both by zazzle internal search as well as via google and other search engines
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07-08-2025 09:12 AM
I have found so many shops lately using this technique... not with this design in particular, but in general. They use a randomly created shop name using a meaningless string of letters and numbers, they use the same description and tags (all irrelevant to their designs) on every single product, they are adding upwards of 500 new products daily (clearly automated)... and to date despite my reporting each shop I have found, zazzle has not removed ANY of them
I also have fellow designer friends in facebook groups who are reporting them and they relate the same...zazzle does not and apparently WILL NOT police these clear copyright thefts nor ban the shops and remove merch created by them
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07-05-2025 03:25 PM
There most certainly is - I should hope they simply haven't seen/tracked down all of these designs yet as I'd say they clearly violate these bullet points in Z's policies on acceptable designs
- No content that can reasonably be viewed as harassing, threatening, or otherwise harmful
- No hate speech
- No content that can reasonably be viewed as discriminatory based upon race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability
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07-05-2025 10:00 PM
@MasterpieceCafe @PenguinPower Yes. It's a holiday weekend, sigh. We have now 825 listings in 32 stores. 😞
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07-07-2025 07:16 AM
Over a thousand now. So, so disappointing.
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07-07-2025 01:32 PM
Hi Creators - Content is going to be removed. Note, it may take some time before the site updates.
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07-08-2025 09:17 AM
Heather does that apply to ALL the shops using the fake auto-generated shop names, the same description and tags (spammed generic highly searched terms) and and identical descriptions on everything they publish? the shops scraping and auto-posting 500-1000 products per day (and I suspect all of them copyright theft?)
I mean in general not specifically on the Alligator Alley merch. I have reported many, my online designer group friends are also doing so... and when we recheck it is all still there.
This seriously needs to be addressed across the site not just on certain products.

