Is it illegal for me to print my own shirt with a picture of an album cover i like on it?
by 
yup.
ANSWERS: 8
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If it's for personal use, I really don't think so. If you start making more of them to make a profit, that's another story. Not an expert opinion at all, by the way.
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If you make any revenue from the t-shirts you make without consent..it is illegal..for personal use, you are fine :)
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The Album Art would have been created by someone, so it would be copyrighted (by the band, or the album cover artist, or the record company). I wouldn't risk it if I were you, especially if you were selling them. Maybe just sticking the name of the band and the album, over a public domain picture of them would have the same effect.
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Yes, it is illegal. Copyright is copyright, and the owners of the original artwork control the right to reproduce it in any form. Obviously, it is unlikely that they are going to involve expensive lawyers in chasing a single user who has made a copy for their private use. But that doesn't mean that what you are doing is legal, just that you will in all probability get away with it. If you start producing large numbers of copies, whether you are selling them or giving hem away - watch out!
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Laws vary world wide ... and there will be many different interpretations of the law and the copyrights ... basically, the Montreal interpretation, is based on intent and quantity. If you have the album and you want to scan it to make a single shirt for yourself, then that does not infringe on copyrights ... but to make many and sell or even freely distribute them, without permission, is illegal.
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If you make one for your own personal use, you are probably ok. It is probably fair use.
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Technically, it is under an unauthorized reproduction of said cover art, therefore it is illegal. You will not be charged if the owners of the artwork's copyright don't decide to press charges, and if they don't find out... how can they?
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Personal use is fine, especially if you own the album in question, unless it's Metallica because they will find you and sue you for everything you own. Bottom line: if it is made for profit it is illegal. If it is made for personal use, and justifiable in that you have already paid to own a copy of the artwork in question, you are safe. Some answerers are taking it to the extreme as if to say that taking a photograph of someone's album for your own records would be illegal. That's taking it to the extreme and is simply not the case.
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