Hi all,
This is my first post.

Can anyone tell me if there is any policy or rule keeping me from using the same designs I'm using here in CafePress, at a diff web site with same services?
And similarly, what about using these same designs on my own to do some silkscreen printing?
Needless to say, these designs are mine.

Thanks in advance guys

Javier DL

You own your designs, you can do anything with them you want. The user agreement with CP is non-exclusive.

Excellent! That's the reply I was hoping for
Thank you KLC Lewis

JDL

I was wondering the same thing. Thanks.

But, I just wanted to add. How do I go about protecting my design ideas/ copyright them? I know I would need a copyright lawyer if I wanted to make sure everythign was kosher. But, for the everyday Joe how do we make sure that our content is protected in cafepress/ what does cafepress do to prevent this theft?

If protecting your work is important enough that you would hire a lawyer then it is critical that you register your work. You don't need a lawyer to do that. You can register batches of images as long as you meet the rules. The copyright books by Nolo Press are excellent and designed to be read and used by non-lawyers. You don't need to be registered to be protected by copyright, but registration makes a BIG difference in your recovery if an infringement occurs.

CafePress watermarks images, uses relatively low resolution images, and ensures that there is no internet access to the full quality images you upload. Searching for infringement and enforcing our copyright is 100% up to us, CafePress does not get involved.