{{Short description|Marketplace In The U.S}} {{Infobox company | name = Zazzle Inc. | logo = Zazzle company logo.png | logo_size = 100px | type = Private | industry = Internet, online retailing | founded = {{Start date and age|2005}} | founders = Robert Beaver<br>Bobby Beaver<br>Jeff Beaver | hq_location_city = Redwood City, California | hq_location_country = United States | area_served = Worldwide | key_people = Robert Beaver (CEO) | website = {{URL|http://www.zazzle.com|zazzle.com}} }} {{Infobox website | name = Zazzle | url = {{URL|http://www.zazzle.com|zazzle.com}} | type = E-commerce<!--Web banners, videos--> | language = English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, Portuguese, Swedish, Korean, Canadian French, Dutch | programming_language = C#/ASP.NET | owner = Zazzle Inc. | launch_date = 2005 | footnotes = <ref>{{cite web|title=zazzle.com Traffic Statistics|url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/zazzle.com|website=Alexa|access-date=15 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220162029/http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/zazzle.com|url-status=dead}}</ref> }}
'''Zazzle''' is an American online marketplace that allows designers and customers to create their own products with independent manufacturers (clothing, posters, etc.), as well as use images from participating companies. Zazzle has partnered with many brands to amass a collection of digital images from companies like Disney, Warner Brothers and NCAA sports teams.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zazzle.ca/about|title=About Us|work=zazzle.ca|access-date=2013-01-19|archive-date=2023-05-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230521121642/https://www.zazzle.ca/about|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="zdnet">{{Cite web|url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-investors-find-new-project/|title=Google investors find new project|last=Olsen|first=Stefanie|date=2005-07-18|website=ZDNet|language=en|access-date=2008-09-13}}</ref>
== History == Zazzle was launched in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/lydiadishman/2013/10/18/how-two-companies-partnered-to-turn-design-on-demand-into-high-growth-retail/|title=How Two Companies Partnered To Turn Design-On-Demand Into High Growth Retail|last=Dishman|first=Lydia|date=2013-10-18|website=Forbes|language=en|access-date=2016-12-25}}</ref> It is based in Redwood City, California. The company received an initial investment of US$16 million in July 2005 from Google investors John Doerr and Ram Shriram,<ref name="zdnet" /> and an additional investment of US$30 million in October 2007.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Michael|first=Arrington|date=2007-07-27|title=Zazzle rumor: big hedge fund investment|work=TechCrunch|url=https://techcrunch.com/2007/07/27/zazzle-rumor-big-hedge-fund-investment/|access-date=2021-10-07}}</ref>
The site was recognized by ''TechCrunch'' as 2007's "best business model" in its first annual Crunchies awards,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2008/01/18/2007-crunchies-the-winners/|title=2007 Crunchies: The Winners|date=2008-01-19|website=TechCrunch|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-12}}</ref>
Zazzle.com offers digital printing, and embroidered decoration on their retail apparel items, as well as other personalization techniques and items.
In 2022, Zazzle engaged Citigroup Inc. and Barclays Plc to facilitate preparations for a potential initial public offering (IPO) this year.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2022-02-18 |title=Ecommerce Firm Zazzle Is Said to Tap Citi, Barclays for IPO |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-18/ecommerce-firm-zazzle-is-said-to-tap-citi-barclays-for-ipo |access-date=2024-09-04 |work=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}</ref>
== Custom postage stamp printing == Starting in 2005, Zazzle offered custom postage stamp printing in a partnership with the United States Post Office (USPS).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Zazzle It |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2006/0109/050.html |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> However, on May 15, 2018, Zazzle stopped the custom stamp printing due to new regulations by the USPS.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Happened to Zazzle Custom Postage? |url=https://weddingstamps.us/zazzle-custom-postage-news |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=WeddingStamps.US |language=en-us}}</ref>
==Controversy==
=== Pi trademark incident === In May 2014, Zazzle removed thousands of products containing the Greek letter pi (π) from being offered for sale on its website.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Poulsen |first=Kevin |date=2014-05-31 |title=This Guy Trademarked the Symbol for Pi and Took Away Our Geeky T-Shirts |url=https://www.wired.com/2014/05/pi-takedown/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140531164752/https://www.wired.com/2014/05/pi-takedown/ |archive-date=2014-05-31 |access-date=2024-03-21 |work=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref> This was done in response to a cease-and-desist letter sent on behalf of Brooklyn-based artist Paul Ingrisano, who holds the trademark (U.S. Reg. No. 4473631) for the symbol 'π.' (pi followed by a period).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wicksell |first=Dustin |date=2014-06-07 |title=Man Trademarks Pi, Internet Furious |url=https://www.inquisitr.com/1286981/man-trademarks-pi-internet-furious |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140609110956/http://www.inquisitr.com/1286981/man-trademarks-pi-internet-furious/ |archive-date=2014-06-09 |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=The Inquisitr |language=en}}</ref> Zazzle's content management team initially defended its ban on Zazzle's user forums, despite complaints from Zazzle sellers that Ingrisano's specific trademark did not appear to apply to their designs.<ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Neil |first=Lauren |date=2014-06-02 |title=Artist trademarks 'Pi' symbol, enrages the web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2014/06/artist-trademarks-pi-symbol-enrages-the-web.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140603004506/https://www.cbc.ca/newsblogs/yourcommunity/2014/06/artist-trademarks-pi-symbol-enrages-the-web.html |archive-date=2014-06-03 |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=CBCNews}}</ref> Following the backlash from users, however, Zazzle reversed course on May 30 and began restoring products featuring the letter pi that had been initially removed.<ref name=":0" />
=== Font lawsuit === In August 2022, graphic designer Nicky Laatz sued Zazzle, saying that the company had secretly purchased a one-user license for her trademarked and copyright-protected fonts and then made them available to all of its hundreds of thousands of designers and tens of millions of users, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars of profits for Zazzle from products that incorporated her fonts.{{ r | SJMN_2022-08-25 }}<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 25, 2022 |title=Zazzle Sued for Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Stealing Intellectual Property, Says Bartko Law Firm |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220824005777/en/Zazzle-Sued-for-Hundreds-of-Millions-of-Dollars-for-Stealing-Intellectual-Property-Says-Bartko-Law-Firm}}</ref><ref name=Slate_2023-01-24>{{Cite news |last=Murphy |first=Heather Tal |date=2023-01-24 |title=Into the Sparkly Heart of Zazzle's Font War |url=https://slate.com/technology/2023/01/zazzle-copyright-font-blooming-elegant.html |access-date=2024-09-04 |work=Slate |language=en-US |issn=1091-2339|quote=In filings pushing to dismiss the suit, Zazzle blasted back that a font cannot be protected by copyright in the United States. Multiple lawyers verified this. ... “The output of an A.I. is not copyrightable,” said Mr. Ochoa, unless human creativity is combined with AI. Similarly here, you can protect font software by copyright, he said, but only if more than a minimal amount of human creativity, such as coding, played a role in producing it. }}</ref> The lawsuit claims that Zazzle had recommended her font as their second most popular font, and that five of Zazzle's twelve most-popular business cards, as well as several of its most-popular wedding invitations used her fonts.<ref name=SJMN_2022-08-25 >{{ cite news | url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/08/25/redwood-city-e-commerce-firm-run-by-family-of-stanford-grads-accused-of-making-fortune-off-stolen-fonts/ | title=Redwood City e-commerce firm run by family of Stanford grads accused of making fortune off stolen fonts - Trickery made Zazzle hundreds of millions of dollars, lawsuit claims | last=Baron | first=Ethan | newspaper=San Jose Mercury News | date=2022-08-25 }}</ref><ref name=CaseText>{{Cite web |title=Laatz v. Zazzle, Inc., 22-cv-04844-BLF {{!}} Casetext Search + Citator |url=https://casetext.com/case/laatz-v-zazzle-inc-9 |access-date=2024-08-12 |website=casetext.com |archive-date=2024-08-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812191652/https://casetext.com/case/laatz-v-zazzle-inc-9 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=BBlaw>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-10 |title=Zazzle Avoids Summary Judgment on Some Printing-Font Suit Claims |url=https://news.bloomberglaw.com/litigation/zazzle-avoids-summary-judgment-on-some-printing-font-suit-claims |website=bloomberglaw.com}}</ref>
Zazzle responded by stating that Zazzle had asked to purchase a server license from Laatz, but that Laatz never responded.{{ r | Slate_2023-01-24 }} Zazzle responded in court by asking for the lawsuit to be dismissed based on the fact that fonts cannot be copyrighted in the US.{{ r | Slate_2023-01-24 }} Software to create fonts can be copyrighted, and Laatz said that she hand-coded designs in the font-creation software, but Zazzle's lawyers contend that she deceived the copyright office about this and created the font with a font program.{{ r | Slate_2023-01-24 | CaseText }}
== See also == * RushOrderTees * Redbubble * Spreadshirt * Teespring * Vistaprint
== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}
== External links==
{{Commons category|Images from Zazzle}} <!-- Do not link to individual stores. They will almost certainly be treated as advertising and removed. --> * {{Official website}}
{{Self-publishing|state=expanded}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zazzle}} Category:2005 establishments in California Category:American companies established in 2005 Category:Companies based in Redwood City, California Category:Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq Category:Online marketplaces of the United States Category:Internet properties established in 2005 Category:Retail companies established in 2005 Category:Self-publishing online stores