Help Us Add More Gear To The Techdirt Insider Shop

Question

We want to keep our Insider Shop stocked with an always-expanding selection of fresh Techdirt gear. This ongoing thread is for you to help us decide what to offer next, and to submit your own ideas.

We're interested in new products, and we also want to find out if there are demands we're not meeting with our existing line. We've already received a few requests through the store, and they've been included in the list below so we can see if others want the same thing.

We've also added some ideas and draft designs for new t-shirts. The Seized Tee and DMCA Tee have been very popular so far, but we want to extend the selection. Please vote on the ideas you like, and submit your own as well.

In addition to the gear itself, we also want to know about bundles. Our limited edition Staff Bundle was a huge hit, and we're definitely planning more limited offerings in the future. We're also considering some other packages like a t-shirt bundle, but maybe there are popular combinations that we haven't thought of, so please let us know what you'd like to see.

This thread is dedicated to physical Techdirt gear, or bundles of physical gear with digital items. We'll be launching another thread soon to discuss the new blog features and subscription packages.

Answer 1

 

The Geoblock Tee

This was an early suggestion from Techdirt user The Infamous Joe. Here's a quick mock-up of the concept, based loosely on the design of Hulu's geoblocking message. Upvote if you like the concept in general, and comment on this item if you have ideas for the specific wording/design.

 

 

Comments

@leigh I love this idea.

Answer 2

 

A Random T-Shirt Idea

Just something that popped into my head. Upvote if you like it!

 

Answer 3

I would pay for a T-Shirt that says "I'm an Anonymous Coward on TechDirt" You could even use the TechDirt Logo. Something like this: http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t358/Gothenem/Tshirt.png

Answer 4

EULA Shirt

I'm pretty sure this has been done before, but it's always fun. The EULA shirt. Exact text will need to be refined, as I'm not very good at legalese and had to look up an EULA for reference, but it would go something like this. Note that the EULA header is huge, and the actually text is small. That's the point.

 

End-User License Agreement

 

This End-User License Agreement (“EULA”) is a legal agreement between the reader and the wear of this shirt. You agree to be bound by the terms of this EULA by reading, remarking, or glancing at this shirt. If you do not wish to be bound by these terms, you may file a A113-42 form with your local Police Box to undo your reading of this shirt. 

 

1. Grant of License: The wearer grants you the following rights, provided you comply with all the terms and conditions outlined within.

• Viewing. The reader may view, read, or gawk this shirt without penality, as long as it does not exceed ten (10) seconds. Gazing is strictly forbidden. Gazing or viewing beyond the allotted time may result in a fine. This license to view is limited to one (1) viewing per person, pointing out this shirt or sharing it will terminate the license and result in a fee.
• Mandatory Activation. Before reading the shirt, the user must file an EA-B1949 form at reader expense with the TechDirt Legalese Department. After thirty (30) to sixty (60) days, if the license is activated, and if the viewer presents proof of activation by showing the recieved form to the wear, the viewer may read this shirt. To insure compliance, a new license must be granted for every viewing.
• Compliments. Complimenting this shirt is allowed. All compliments must follow the standards outlined by the Persephone Courtesy Bureau, and be immediately followed by a curtsey or bow. Derogatory or sarcastic comments are forbidden and strictly enforced. Failure to compliment according to these terms may lead to a defamation lawsuit.
• The wearer reserves all rights not expressly granted to you by this EULA not including or limited to the   text of the EULA.

​2. Transfers: This license may not be shared, borrowed, lent, or transferred to another viewer. Each viewer is required to fill out the EA-B1949 form for a proper license before viewing this shirt. Taking a picture of the shirt, pointing out the shirt, or talking about the shirt are also strictly forbidden. Any sharing of this shirt is a violation of the wearer's intellectual property, and may result in an FBI raid of your home and seizure of your computers, phones, Mercedes Benz vehicles, home, and donuts.

3. TERMINATION: Without prejudice to any other rights, the wearer may cancel this EULA if you do not abide by the terms and conditions of this EULA, if the wearer feels like it, or if the wearer doesn't like you. In which case, the reader must file an 03-K64 form with the MiB Office for memory wipe, at the reader's expense.

 

Answer 5

 

The PG Seized Tee

While some people have been turning the "Motherfucking Eagle" into a Techdirt meme, others have cited it as the one thing stopping them from buying a Seized Tee. We're considering offering an alternative version if there's enough demand, so upvote if you'd like one and leave a comment if you have any specific ideas about how to best "censor" the graphic.

Comments

Well, there's the ever-popular asterisks. Not sure if it would be enough to censor it back to PG but it's a start.

Or maybe an additional CENSORED sticker over the offending word would add another layer of ridiculousness to the entire set of censorious logos.

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@capitalisliontamer Perhaps a color-coded censored sticker so they don't mess up their emblem too much?

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@leigh (PG Seized Tee) I would love an alternative version. Specifically because I want to wear it at church events. The message the shirt is sending would get missed because of the language component.

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@leigh I have seen the use of mfing eagle a few times on Techdirt. Is that shirt where it originated from? I guess I don't check the rtb often enough.

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@killertofu Yup, the Seized Tee spawned the MFE meme! They are selling out quickly too.... jus' sayin ;)

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@leigh Heh, thanks Leigh for the explanation. I would probably have already picked one up, but the tees here feel a bit pricey for my pay grade. =(

Answer 6

 

Women's Sizes

We've received a couple of requests for this, and we'd like to gauge the demand. Upvote if you'd like to see our line of t-shirts available as women's babydoll tees.

Comments

@leigh - Dark Helmet has to model them for the catalog.

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@capitalisliontamer way to eliminate my enthusiasm for this idea, jeeze...

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@leigh don't pretend like you don't recognize my beauty, leigh...

Answer 7

 

The Seized Sticker

We're considering offering sticker packs featuring a simplified version of the graphic from our popular Seized Tee. The plan is to show the badges with just the word "SEIZED!" underneath, so you can declare whatever you like to be property of the eagles. Upvote if that's something you'd want, and leave a comment if you think you have a better idea along the same lines.

Comments

@leigh - Maybe a blank ___________ where you can use a Sharpie to label whatever it is you're "seizing."

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@leigh also seized tape.. like crime scene tape but with the seized badges on it (all three) and words "Seized by [censored] for the children" (or similar)

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@alpharia @capitalisliontamer - both cool ideas. On the lines of leaving a blank space, I had also thought about "This ________ Has Been Seized" post-it notes. They'd be much cheaper and thus, like the feds, you wouldn't have to be judicious about what you seize.

Answer 8

Our Own Knockoff Shirts?

Just a thought that occurred to me.  We're currently offering high quality, American Apparel t-shirts, and a few people have said they like them, but the price is a bit more expensive.  So what if we also offered "cheaper" knockoff versions that we made and sell -- but which we're clear are not nearly as nice or as high quality as the other versions?

Of course, I've written about a clothing company that did something similar: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090921/0413036268.shtml

 

Comments

@mmasnick How about offering higher quality, European t-shirts that are printed in Europe, thus the costs for sending them to Europeans would be much lower?
It's not the price of the t-shirt that bothers me. It's the price of the shipping that costs almost as much as two t-shirts...

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@mmasnick

For some people, American Apparel shirts are a bit tight (because they're designed that way), so maybe if we poll the folks who bought shirts on the fit -- we might change to a different t-shirt maker (eg. Gildan).

Answer 9

 

T-Shirt Bundles

As our selection of t-shirts expands, we'd like to offer some bundles to cut our biggest fans the best deal we can. Upvote if you'd be interested in a t-shirt bundle, and comment on this item if you have ideas about the ideal size/combination for such a package.

Answer 10

 

Other Garments

T-shirts and hoodies are the classics, but there's no reason we have to stop there. Long-sleeve tees? Caps? Jerseys? Pocket squares? You tell us! Upvote if you'd like to see a bigger variety of wearables, and leave a comment with your garment of choice.

Comments

@Leigh
Nice button down collar denim shirts.
Also polos or rugby shirts.   Embroidered.

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@leigh Up vote for embroidered logo shirt. The longevity increase is valuable to me.