Zazzle launches men's PRO-Keds shoes

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http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/fashion-news/newsdetails.aspx?news_id=82908

Zazzle, the leading platform for quality custom products, announced the availability of the world's first completely customizable men's sneaker. In a significant expansion of the ongoing collaboration between Zazzle and Keds, the unique line of customizable men's PRO-Keds shoes is now available on Zazzle's global family of websites. The shoes will be available on the Keds website this spring.

Custom PRO-Keds by Zazzle marks the footwear industry's first fully-customizable product for men, extending far beyond the simple color choices currently offered by other footwear makers. Customers can upload their own graphics and text to every canvas surface of the shoe, and can choose the colors and patterns for stitching, lining, bindings and more. In addition to building their own shoes entirely from scratch, customers can also browse and buy existing shoe designs from the Zazzle marketplace and cutting-edge design collaborations from ARTSPROJEKT, Zazzle's premier network of top artists from around the world. Men's shoes are the newest addition to Zazzle's already popular women's and children's shoe lines, and allow a new set of consumers to instantly customize one-of-a-kind shoes featuring their own artwork and creativity.

A staple of both the mainstream and counterculture movements for decades, PRO-Keds have adorned the feet of neighborhood street ballers and legends of the NBA, as well as beatniks, hippies, punk rockers and some of hip hop's original MCs. Now, a new generation has discovered the PRO-Keds brand, which is helping to inspire a collective spirit of new American style, youthful optimism, collaboration and togetherness. In this expanded partnership with Zazzle, Keds' classic, authentic style becomes even more distinguishable as a leading brand, with significant vision into the future of footwear. Customers around the world can now create high-quality men's shoes -- both hi and lo top -- from an American icon, using their own designs and artwork.

"These men's shoes are an exciting expansion of our partnership with the brand, and with PRO-Keds we're actually remixing a cultural icon," commented Andy Howell, founder of ARTSPROJEKT Global Creative Network, a unit of Zazzle. "By opening the blank canvas of PRO-Keds -- an already very cool shoe people can unleash their creative energy on a new medium, and that's really where Zazzle excels. Self-expression and customization is where we see commerce headed, and we're constantly pushing the envelope with new products like PRO-Keds."

By leveraging Zazzle's proprietary technology and on-demand manufacturing capabilities, Keds is easily able to expand its custom merchandise creation and purchase options with minimal cost and zero risk.

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'Pray for Obama' T-shirt not exactly prayer for Obama

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There's a T-shirt which is creating a ruckus. It's yellow, and  emblazoned on the front is, "Pray for Obama" and underneath, "Psalm 109:8."  The actual line in Psalm 109:8 states, “Let his days be few; and let another take his office.”  A hope that Obama gets voted out of office, or something more sinister? 


My fellow examiners in Tucson, Portlandand Atlanta have given their two cents on this subject, but let’s recap what the fuss is about.

A company called Zazzle was purportedly selling this particular t-shirt, but no longer. This statement was released on Wednesday:

“…it is only after great thought that we have determined that these products, in the context of the full text of Psalm 109, may be interpreted in such a way as to suggest physical harm to the President of the United States. In deference to the Office of the President of the United States, and in accordance with federal law prohibiting the making of threats against the physical wellbeing of the President of the United States, Zazzle has therefore determined that these products are in violation of the Zazzle User Agreement and not appropriate for inclusion in the Zazzle Marketplace.”

The full text of their statement can be found here.

Another company called Cafepress is, however, selling another t-shirt with the same slogan (but not in the seizure-inducing neon yellow which Zazzle was.) 

Supporters of the President are up in arms, and declaring that the t-shirt is an exhortation on the part of Christian Conservatives to cause grievous harm to the President. While the actual passage in Psalm 109:8 reads, “Let his days be few; and let another take his office” the rest of the psalm is an entreaty to God to ruin the supplicant’s enemy, to “Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow” (the next line.) Clearly, it could be interpreted that some who buy and wear the t-shirt want President Obama deeply incapacitated, to put it mildly. However, other commentators have countered that it’s taking Psalm 109 out of context; all 109:8 declares, they say, is that those who are opposed to the President wish him to not be re-elected. That’s all. There’s no murderous intent, nor are they praying for lethal divine wrath to be visited upon Obama or his family.

Now, the actual psalm itself, read as a whole, is a lament against an oppressive and wicked time; it is also a call by David to bring down righteous vengeance upon his transgressor. But not just to smite down; the oppressor’s familial lineage must also be exterminated, and his deeds stricken from the public records. Taken in literal form, this was part of the no-holds-barred approach in the dog eat dog world that was the ancient Holy Land. It’s tribalism in the purest form, and utter destruction of an enemy was paramount if you wanted to survive. Which brings us back to the t-shirt’s original intent. Is the t-shirt, the fridge magnet, and the bumper sticker (all of which list “109:8”) code for “we hate Barack Obama and hope God or someone does grievous injury to him?” Or was it simply quoting that single line, “Let his days be few; and let another take his office” as a simple statement of politicaldissatisfaction? Which, by the way, is free speech protected by the First Amendment. When it’s aprovable exhortation to violence, then it becomes hate speech. 

The only person who could truthfully address the intent is the designer of the offending apparel and the other brickabrack. And if his or her purpose was to maliciously incite the more homicidally inclined amongst the Christian community, then that’s a matter to be settled between the t-shirt designer and God. And the Secret Service. Apparently, they take a dim view of threats (implied or otherwise) against the President of the United States.

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Zazzle.com Sued for Infringement Over 'Twilight' Merchandise

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From AppScout.com

It's the Friday before Halloween, so it's only appropriate that we wrap up this week with a discussion about everyone's favorite sparkly "Twilight" vampires.

Summit Entertainment, which owns the rights to the "Twilight" films, has filed suit against Zazzle.com, a do-it-yourself merchandising site that lets users upload photos and have them printed on things like t-shirts, bags, and mugs. The Web site also features pre-made t-shirts with random slogans and imagery.

It appears that too many Twi-hards have been snapping up random goodies featuring pictures of Edward, Bella, and the rest of the bloodthirsty gang. Summit has accused Zazzle of trademark and copyright infringement, among other charges, and has asked a California district court to hand down an injunction against Zazzle.

"Summit has suffered and ... is likely to suffer damage to its trademarks, business reputation, and goodwill," the company said in its filing. "Zazzle will continue to use ... unless restrained, the Twilight Marks and will cause irreparable damage to Summit."

Summit said it sent Zazzle a cease-and-desist letter in November 2008 and again in August 2009, but the company never responded.

Summit owns the trademarks for Twilight and Twilight New Moon, as well as other phrases relating to the movie's characters, like Team Cullen, Team Edward, Team Jacob, and Volturi. Summit has a pending trademark for the Cullen family crest.

Summit said a recent search on Zazzle.com returned 19,000 results for "Twilight" and 47,000 returns for "New Moon." Of those, the vast majority were "directly and in the context of the Zazzle Web site [in] reference the Twilight Series and its characters." Examples provided by Summit included t-shirts, hats, and magnets with the phrase "Twilight Girl," and t-shirts that said "Team Edward," a reference to the main character.

A Friday search returned 8,731 returns for Twilight and 18,488 for New Moon, though not all of them were obviously related to the movies.

Summit said it has been "unable to ascertain the exact damages" but wants Zazzle to pay up once the court determines the appropriate amount.

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Zazzle and Sonicbids Launch Merchandise Partnership

REDWOOD CITY, CA and BOSTON, MA -- 10/20/09 -- Zazzle, the leader in on-demand retail manufacturing, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Sonicbids, a website that helps bands get gigs and promoters book the right bands, to integrate Zazzle's merchandising systems seamlessly into the Sonicbids platform. Beginning December 1, Sonicbids members can easily and effectively leverage Zazzle's solution for on-demand merchandising and online storefront creation, as well as design and purchase bulk orders directly to sell on tour, all from their Sonicbids and Zazzle accounts.

Thousands of artists, including acts like Jason Mraz, Rob Thomas and Cheap Trick, have already discovered the power of Zazzle's innovative merchandising solution, which lets musicians offer unlimited designs on dozens of different product types, and lets fans creatively interact with artists' content by personalizing their products before ordering, all with no upfront costs or inventory risk for the artist. The partnership between Sonicbids and Zazzle will open the Zazzle solution to Sonicbids' community of more than 210,000 artists and 19,000 promoters. The Sonicbids platform will be expanded to allow seamless integration of Zazzle-powered tools into every band's Sonicbids account, providing artists with the power to manage both their online and offline merchandise strategies with their very own branded storefront. The deal also includes program discounts and promotions for Sonicbids members.

"Independent bands are taking charge of their careers and approaching the business side of music as entrepreneurs," said Panos Panay, founder and CEO of Sonicbids. "Sonicbids is partnering with Zazzle to give our members an easy way to manage their merch sales, while eliminating the hassle of inventory management and keeping all the rights to their own products."

"The power and flexibility of Zazzle's on-demand manufacturing model is particularly well-suited to the music merchandising industry," said Joyce Williams, director of business development at Zazzle. "For decades, artists at every level have had to make significant capital investments in their merchandising strategy before they sold even one t-shirt. Zazzle's tools eliminate this overhead, simplify the entire process, and free artists to focus on what they do best...make music."

Zazzle is the leading innovator in on-demand manufacturing, enabling customers to create and buy one-of-a-kind, customized products at reasonable prices, which are then made and shipped within 24 hours. Zazzle's online community helps sellers set up Zazzle stores where they can showcase their designs on a wide variety of products like t-shirts, hats, shoes, skateboards, and postage stamps, and then sell them to consumers without incurring any inventory risk. Sellers include successful brands such as Disney, Star Wars, Keds Shoes, and The Black Eyed Peas. Buyers shop from billions of products and can have them made as is, or can choose to personalize them, creating a perfect custom product or custom gift for any occasion. Zazzle is based in Redwood City, California.

Sonicbids is a Web site that helps bands get gigs, and promoters book the right bands. With festivals, clubs, colleges, music licensing and much more, Sonicbids offers a diverse range of gigs for every kind of musician. Its 200,000+ bands represent an international community of artists, with something for every kind of promoter. The company was launched in 2001 by Panos Panay, a Cyprus native and former booking agent with a love of soccer (he calls it football), working to "empower the artistic middleclass." For more on Sonicbids, visit www.sonicbids.com.

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Artists Flock to Zazzle.com After Obama Nobel Prize Announcement

REDWOOD CITY, CA -- 10/09/09 -- Liberal and conservative artists alike have hit Zazzle.com in waves since the announcement that President Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. In just a few short hours since the award was announced, artists have created over 1000 different products either celebrating the 44th President's award or poking fun at Chicago's favorite son.

"Zazzle is an open forum for artists, and often acts as a 'cultural barometer' for the pulse of America," said Mike Karns, Director of Consumer Marketing for Zazzle. "Controversial subjects generate immediate reaction by artists, who know there are people in the world who share their views and want to express these thoughts on apparel and other products."

On Friday morning, literally every second, a new Obama Nobel Prize gift or product was being created on the site. Artwork celebrating the Nobel Laureate was tracking a bit higher than those created to detract from the accomplishment, suggesting that Americans have a generally positive attitude towards Obama's award.

Pro-Obama artists were generating Obama t-shirts with the familiar Obama red, white and blue "O" and the scripted, "Barack Obama Nobel Peace Prize Laureate" and "Prize of a Prez." The Obama detractors, who also often use the "O" as part of their art, have included messages on anti-Obama t-shirts like, "Nobel Appeaser" and "Obama Wins Nobel Prize. WTF?"

Creations from both sides of the controversy were quickly being snapped up by consumers on t-shirts, hats, bumper stickers, tote bags and even pet apparel. Since Zazzle makes and ships most products within 24 hours of an order being placed, consumers will have these new pro and anti Nobel Obama products early next week.

About Zazzle

Zazzle is the leading innovator in on-demand manufacturing, enabling customers to create and buy one-of-a-kind, customized products at reasonable prices, which are then made and shipped within 24 hours. Zazzle's online community helps sellers set up Zazzle stores where they can showcase their designs on a wide variety of products like t-shirts, hats, shoes, skateboards, and postage stamps, and then sell them to consumers without incurring any inventory risk. Sellers include such successful brands as Disney, Star Wars, Keds Shoes, and Britney Spears. Buyers shop from billions of products and can have them made as is, or can choose to personalize them, creating a perfect custom product for any occasion. Zazzle is based in Redwood City, California.

©2009 Zazzle.com Inc., all rights reserved. Zazzle and its logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Zazzle.com, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other trade names mentioned herein are recognized to be the properties of their respective owners.

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