Important Legal Question!

[Truefaith87]

So I have been bouncing around the idea in my head to get a graphic t-shirt made for showing how to do the Manderville dance. Would there be any legal issues with this idea, even if I own the only one in existence?

[Autumnfire]

I can't say for certain, but if you're just making one for yourself and not distributing anything, I think it's fine. It'd be on par with "fan art" I think.

[Mazi]

I want to say as long as you aren't selling said T-shirt you should be fine yeah?

[chocomaid]

You can always tag SE to have the credit, just put it inside a tag inside the shirt so it wouldn't be visible normally, but it would be there if the problem arises.

[SavageWolf]

Are you worried that the SE bounty hunters will find you, rip the shirt off of your back and throw you in a wagon to be carted off to jail?

Unless you're planning on selling it, gaining some sort of commercial success, or bragging about your awesome shirt on a public Square-Enix owned forum, you'll be fine.

[Daenerys_Sedai]

The Manderville Dance is the copyrighted material owned by Square-Enix and whatever parent corp. Accordingly, they have rights in derivative works, displays, yada yada.. all that good stuff found in § 106 of the Copyright laws. Such a shirt would undeniably be considered a derivative work. The moment you start selling it, SE has every right to send a cease and desist letter to your house. Whether they do or not is another story (see Etsy which seems to be built on copyright infringement :P ).

(additionally, you're arguably prohibited from arranging a flash mob to perform the Manderville )

[Kamahil]

Why..........

[MithrasInvictus]

What they said. Unless you plan on selling it, that would be fine. It is the conceptual equivalent of drawing a chocobo on your school notebook; nobody is going to send you a C&D order for something so trivial and, most importantly, private. It is private use with no commercial intention for distribution and/or profit.

[Cigaran]

And yet you have dozens of websites selling t-shirts that parody video games that include using characters from the various IP's and there's no legal fall out from that. OP should be fine.

[Orophin]

If the Manderville goes viral on Youtube I know who to blame. :P