Community Standards

Spreadshirt is first and foremost an open platform. We proudly stand behind content that positively supports and encourages diversity, inclusion, and constructive discourse. We are firm believers in the power of freedom of expression and the strength it has to lift, enrich, and fortify the global community. In that same spirit, we are strongly against the spread of discriminating, hateful, and harmful content on the products we sell.

Our platform is supported entirely by an empowered community of customers, designers and shop owners who express themselves by creating, discovering and selling clothing and accessories with messages they want the world to hear. This also means that some might find certain messages controversial, while others do not. And we also acknowledge that it is sometimes difficult to find the right line between controversial ideas and malicious intent, especially as the context of that content changes over time.

That is why we have defined standards for our community. We remove designs, accounts and/or shops that come to our attention when we find them to fall into one of the following categories:

1. Illegal Content
2. Hate speech and Hateful Content
3. Inciting violence
4. Graphic sexual content
5. Harmful Misleading Content

Any products, designs or shops that fall into the above categories will be removed at Spreadshirt’s discretion. In order to balance the needs, safety and interests of a diverse customer and partner base, we may also remove certain kinds of sensitive content or limit its visibility. We also may deactivate accounts of users depending on the amount and severity of the breach of our Community Standards.

In some cases, the context of a message is key for understanding. We encourage our community to be mindful of this and report designs which you think violate our Community Standards. We take each report of a design, account, product or shop seriously; we research the case thoroughly and consult experts if necessary before taking appropriate action.

1. Illegal Content

We are of course bound by the laws in the countries we are active in. Reported designs, products and shops that violate the law will be removed.

2. Hate Speech and Hateful Content

We remove designs, accounts and/or shops that come to our attention when we find them to have content that directly attacks or discriminates against people based on their:

• Race
• Ethnicity
• National origin
• Religious affiliation
• Sexual orientation
• Sex, gender, or gender identity, or
• Serious disabilities or diseases

We also remove reported designs, accounts and/or shops of groups, organizations, political parties, and individuals directly or indirectly promoting hatred or discrimination against the groups listed above. Additionally, we will remove reported content that supports, advocates or promotes such discriminating groups, organizations, political parties, and individuals and their ideas. As with all of our Community Standards, we rely on you to report this content to us.

We may however allow satire or social commentary related to these topics as long as the context at hand is clear.

People can use Spreadshirt to challenge ideas, institutions or practices by expressing these on products as it helps promoting debate and greater understanding.

Sometimes people might create, buy, or sell content referencing someone else’s hate speech for the purpose of raising awareness or educating others about a particular hate speech. When this is the case, we expect the designer to clearly indicate their purpose, which helps us better understand the context.

3. Violent Content

Spreadshirt removes content that comes to our attention when it incites violence or is offensive, defamatory or threatening to victims of attacks, catastrophes or crimes.

In some cases, when people create, buy or sell content referencing violence, they are condemning it or raising awareness about it, and we may allow this content on Spreadshirt. We will remove graphic and violent content when we find it to celebrate or glorify violence.

4. Graphic Sexual Content

Spreadshirt will remove content that comes to our attention when we find that it contains graphic sexual content, pornography and obscenity, especially regarding minors. We may also restrict the display and visibility of certain sexual content at our discretion.

5. Harmful Misleading Content

Spreadshirt will remove content that comes to our attention when we find that it conveys a misleading and misinformative message that we see as harmful to public health and safety. We will also remove reported content that supports, advocates or promotes groups and their ideas that we find to be harmful and misleading.