Royalty Clearing

[AllinGray]

I have two questions

1. I have some royalties that have been pending for almost a month? Any suggestions?
2. Also, since Zazzle is licensed to sell Jedi materials, why are sales containing the Noun Jedi, constantly cancelled by Zazzle?

[Windy]

Who holds that Jedi license? Is it Zazzle or is it the designer?

[Krysanthe]

Don't know about the pending payments, but unless you are Disney you can't sell Jedi items.  Disney has about a gazillon stores on Zazzle so that might be what you are seeing.  Disney is know for fiercely protecting its copyrights, so I'm assuming they have something worked out with Zazzle to auto protect it. 

[AllinGray]

No Jedi images used, just the noun. 

[PenguinPower]

It takes a whole 30 days for pending items to clear... And Disney owns "Jedi"... not Zazzle. Zazzle is not licensed to sell the items - Disney has stores here. They can sell Jedi items, you cannot. 

[AllinGray]

No Jedi images used, just the noun. And trademark law is VERY clear about not being able to trademark common nouns, otherwise designs, descriptions and tags would be completely marginalized and all but useless et al APPLE Pie, Open WINDOWS, love and DIVERSITY, JEDI mind trick etc...

[PenguinPower · Accepted solution]

But Jedi is not a common noun... It is a trademarked name. It didn't exist before the Star Wars movies... George Lucas made it up when he wrote the first Star Wars movie screenplay...  Not a common noun, nor do I think you would find any lawyer who would be willing to bother to try to argue that it has entered the common vernacular as a general use word - it's pretty well immediately known you are referring to Star Wars if you use it. It is as protectable as Xerox, Kodak, Bandaid or any other made up word and it is trademarked. 
https://trademarks.justia.com/784/88/jedi-78488803.html

[AllinGray]

We can agree to disagree---if that is still acceptable in modern vernacular. It may not be a common noun to you, but that does not negate it being a common noun writ large regardless of who created the word or when. Just Google the term "PowerPoint Jedi". Beyond that, ask anyone who has served or is currently serving in the military---VERY MUCH a common noun.

[Windy]

The "agree to disagree" exists between you and Zazzle's attorneys. Zazzle surely follows legal advice as to what Zazzle will offer for sale. If you can convince Zazzle's attorney to risk a copyright suit with Lucasfilm Ltd, LLC then you should have no problems selling your Jedi merchandise on Zazzle.  

[AllinGray]

Again, we can agree to disagree as the entire perspective hinges on corroborated fact as opposed to predisposed assumption, et al is it or is it not a common noun. Thank you and take care.

[CreativeLeahG]

As the others have noted and PPower specifically, Jedi the word is a trademark
https://trademarks.justia.com/784/88/jedi-78488803.html

Only the Trademark owner may use it.

[Scott]

Jedi is Star Wars IP.

Closing because I believe this has been sufficiently answered.