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[dalon]

I'm designing a T-shirt for my freshman hall at my college and I've used a Dr. Seuss illustration on the back. I did initially trace it, but I've simplified it a bunch and changed many of the details (i.e. a flower pot became boxes). Is that enough to avoid trademark infringement? I go to a small school too, so it's not like hundreds of kids will be wearing these shirts.

[bearchan]

It might not be a trademark infringement but it would almost CERTAINLY be a copyright infringement, as an unauthorized derivative work, if part of your work can be recognized as having been the original creative content in an earlier work.

[shashank]

It's copyright infringement (and possibly trademark infringement). It's a myth that if you change a certain percent of an image, it is not a violation of copyright. You are still using the image without permission, and the Seuss family is very tight on licensing his work.

Chances are you wouldn't get caught, BUT it is a copyright violation. And if you sell those shirts, it is definitely a violation because even though you changed things, you are still using someone else's work to make money.