is this legal?

[Radish White Ice]

is it legal to design, print and sell a band poster without the permission of the band or the manager? for example lets say I make an original death cab for cutie poster and sell it online, do I run the risk of getting sued?

[Gregory]

It happens all the time.

[Radish White Ice]

what happens all the time?

[lil_tuffy]

Yes. That is called "bootlegging."

[crosshair]

what happens all the time?

Assholes who think they'll fly under the radar while they try making a few bucks off of stealing someone else's intellectual property or using their trademark without authorization, getting their asses sued off and ground into the fuxxing pavement.
...happens all the time.

But it seems like an odd question to ask as the answer is so obvious. Are you for real?

[matthewthirteen]

Just turn it to a star wars poster and everyone will love it.

[Radish White Ice]

I'm not trying to boot leg somebody else work, I make completely original work based on the music I like to listen to and I'm just wondering if its wrong to sell it?

[standard]

You are attempting to cash in on the career/brand that someone else has put a lot of work into. In order to determine whether you are on ethically murky footing, simply put yourself into their shoes: Let's say you spend 5 or 6 years building a Radish White Ice brand - you make a real name for yourself. One day you do a Google Search and discover that I am selling Radish White Ice t-shirts on Cafepress. Question: Are you mad at me?

[standard]

Hint: I actually really DO have a cafepress account and I really AM selling t-shirts that say "Radish White Ice" on them. They are really popular. Thank you.

[Casey Burns]

I'm not trying to boot leg somebody else work, I make completely original work based on the music I like to listen to and I'm just wondering if its wrong to sell it?

Make all the Death Cab-based posters you want, just don't put their name on them. The moment you do without their permission, you are bootlegging.