Creating a t-shirt with a song title

[justwondering15]

I would like to design a t-shirt with the simple phrase "California Dreamin" on it. I know that this song was written by John and Michele Phillips. Is the title free to use? Or where do I look to find copyright/trademark rights? Thank you for your valuable time.

 

[Michael Wechsler]

I would like to design a t-shirt with the simple phrase "California Dreamin" on it. I know that this song was written by John and Michele Phillips. Is the title free to use? Or where do I look to find copyright/trademark rights? Thank you for your valuable time.

We've actually written an article on whether you can legally use a song title on a t-shirt. It talks about copyright law, as opposed to trademark law. You can search trademarks at the US Patent and Trademark Office and see whether the phrase is registered and for apparel -- if that is even possible.