How does one prove that they are authorized to sell a celebs merch?

[Gilligan]

We just got an email from a country artist that they want us to make our Cajun Wine Glasses with their logo on them to put in their store.

Their name is the contact name on the artist's website, but it's not from an official domain or anything.  So anyone could fake that (why would they is a great question but I digress).

How should I go about proceeding to make sure they are indeed in charge of this artist's merchandise and they have permission to get things like this done?

Thanks guys, this one is a new one to me!

[ericheartsu]

We just got an email from a country artist that they want us to make our Cajun Wine Glasses with their logo on them to put in their store.

Their name is the contact name on the artist's website, but it's not from an official domain or anything.  So anyone could fake that (why would they is a great question but I digress).

How should I go about proceeding to make sure they are indeed in charge of this artist's merchandise and they have permission to get things like this done?

Thanks guys, this one is a new one to me!

this can be tricky, but also most artists will respect that you are trying to protect their copyright.

We usually ask for all the billing info for their quote, and then we use that to verify it. If that still doesn't work, we will just straight up ask them. 99% of the time they are ok with you asking, especially because you are protecting them as well.

[screenprintguy]

You need them to provide you with proof of trademark use, and then have them fill out an Intellectual Property Rights form, otherwise known as an IPR, and have it notarized. If you already  have an attorney, they can do a quick back ground check on the individuals, the TM and draw up the proper paperwork for you. We deal with a few Record labels that have rights to produce Merch for their artists, but only certain designs and only in certain regions. So we do this quite often if it's a project, or even a re-run of a project, since sometimes there are time limits on the use of Trademarked property. If someone's trying to pull a fast one, you just won't hear back from them. The should be very forthcoming with such documents if they produce merch already.

[tonypep]

Good points about specificity. Just like with Nike, Hilfiger, etc. Many licenses have restrictions. Some bands can give you licenses for fan base websites but not for tour or retail.

[Frog]

It can also get weird as to just who owns what.

Local guy sells stuff for A's fans, including some with player's likenesses.
The players themselves gave them the thumbs up, but the Players Union put the kibosh on it.

Interestingly, he had those particular shirts made at one of those online store type sites, and assumed that they,
being experienced and all, wouldn't print and help facilitate anything questionable.