Olde Salt of the earth

I'd like to tell you that my merchandizing business has taken off like gang busters and cash is flowing in hand over fist. But other than the $1 I've technically earned from buying one of my own t-shirts, nothing has sold. 

Truth be told, I have already had one of my designs removed from the site because HBO complained I was infringing on some of their intellectual property. It was my "Yes, I'm Frozen...And no I don't want to build a snowman" design. I'm pretty sure it was because I created the image of me using a filter on Snapchat a few years ago that turned me into a White Walker. Then I super modified it to create the t-shirt. 

Apparently I am perceived as an intellectual threat to HBO. It has been a long time since I've been perceived as an intellectual threat to anyone. So I suppose I should be oddly flattered. They were obviously afraid that I was going to take a bite out of the merchandizing dollars Game of Thrones brings in.

I think my mistake was posting the damned thing on Twitter X. God knows those millions of people were about to swarm teepublic.com looking for the design of me as a White Walker (which is coincidently what the neighbors call me when I walk the dog with my son each day).

I posted another image of me playing guitar on the same stage as Elvis in Memphis and it got the attention of a young woman who expressed interest in having a free chat with me and sharing some photos. Jokes on her. I would have chatted with her for free anyway.

The only other time I had a run in with intellectual property was when I tried selling a Richard Prior press kit I had received as a college arts and entertainment editor back in the 1980s.  The press kit was for a really bad movie he did called Some Kind of Hero. It included a press release and some stills. There was nothing intellectual about it and for some reason I thought when he signed the movie deal he gave up the rights to the movie promotional stuff as his property.  Also I think when he died, he probably lost interest in owning it (but apparently his family didn't want me to profit off from the press kit) so they complained to eBay and it was removed from the site.

I am finding it very difficult making a profit off from my keen entrepreneurial skills and creative talent. 

For the record, the above image has nothing to with any known pirate franchises. And if the corporations can start stealing puns from hardworking people like me, then what has this world come to? 

Next thing you are going to tell me is that it is okay for a former president to violate laws from here to next Tuesday and not be held accountable for his vile actions.