Questions tagged [copyright]
Questions about copyright law from a designers point of view. Answers should not be treated as bona fide legal advice, but instead as advice from designers who've experienced copyright issues in their career. Ask anything about how copyright relates to graphic design, though bear in mind that we are not lawyers.
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How much do i need to change a vector image to make it my own [duplicate]
so this question was already asked before but it referred to vector work that was derived from a picture or artwork of some form.
My question is about simple 1bit silhouette vectors, and where the ...
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Can I use free resources to create banners?
I was wondering if I can use free resources such as freepik.com content to create online banner ads for my clients? Is it legal to do so?
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What copyright do I need to worry about in regards to personal photos of sculptures or famous buildings?
I would like to use my own photos of sculptures or famous buildings that other people made in personal projects (not for real clients) that are poster advertisements and upload them to my Behance ...
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Is it okay to use Apple logo as a part of an icon in a website?
I'm working on a website for a data recovery company.
I need to make an icon of a MacBook, because they offer specialized service for OS X devices. I'm not sure if it is okay for me to place the ...
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Is this copyright infringement?
There is a business that is in my area. She uses professional photography that is found online, uses an app to put her logos and advertising all over it, and then uses it to market on social media. ...
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Fair use of photos in design mockups
I'm wondering what the copyright laws are for using photos in design mockups and concepts. For example, if you look at a platform like Dribbble there's a ton of IMDB, Netflix etc. mockups that are ...
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Do I own the rights to show my designs in my portfolio?
I was hired as a freelancer to do some work for a company. I made a design that I love which included some of the company's data within it. I asked to put it on my portfolio and they got very ...
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Can it be considered artistic freedom to caricurate (social) media logos for a print publication?
I'm working on a graphic for academic publication. In that graphic I would like to refer to the concept of social media, ideally with the logos of (for example) facebook or twitter. According to their ...
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Copy vector pattern completely from scratch for commercial use, but exactly as those found online?
I need a huge range of vector patterns that will be used commercially on merchandise. Since royalty free sites do not allow commercial use for most of their images, I figured I can create patterns ...
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Are there fonts whose licence allows me to edit them and then resell the edited version?
I am looking for a way to start from a base font and create another font from it, that I could eventually resell. The edits would be rather heavy but the shape could remain.
I would like to know if ...
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Is it allowed to use the Great Seal of the United States in a commerical design?
Is it legal to use the eagle from the Great Seal of the United States (as shown on the dollar bill) as part of a commercial design in a book? I am also changing the "e pluribus unum" to a slogan.
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Can a graphic/vector/illustration available for free, commercialized later?
Like, if some graphical illustrations are available for free under CC0 licence and are provided by a website.
Is it possible for the website to restrict free downloads of those graphics in future?
...
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How to price for global packaging rights [duplicate]
I've searched all over Google and couldn't find a suitable answer so I thought I'd go to the source.
How would you go about pricing for global packaging rights on illustrations you create?
Pricing for ...
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What is the line in using geometry based art as inspiration or considered derivative art?
ORPHAN WORK
During my free time, I decided to make a Naruto Fan Art Wallpaper. In my wallpaper I wanted to put itachi as the main subject. However, due to short schedule, I changed my mind to use his ...
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Using CC BY-SA 3.0 images in website: does 'share alike' affect my websites license?
I'm using some images (mainly as backgrounds, but otherwise I may as well) for my a website I'm making.
Does the 'share alike' clause effect the license of my website (the code, html, css, ...
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Metal sheet with diamond pattern [closed]
I'm not sure if this question is for this website and if it's not can someone point me in the right direction but what I want is a picture/texture of a metal sheet with that tall or long diamond shape ...
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Copyrights regarding world maps
I am doing some freelance work for a client and she has asked me to illustrate a map visualising Africa and Europe.
She is including the illustration into a book she is writing in the hopes of ...
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Are the following logos the same?
I designed this logo for a company, the logo has 4 curved corners (arrows) which represent the different dimensions that particular company works in and the gap between these arrows shows how open the ...
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Android and iOS logos on my website
Can I insert Android and iOS logos to sponsor an App on my website? Or is it considered copyright infringement?
user61859
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Copyright, Outright Copying and Client Requirements [duplicate]
I've been asked to recreate some vector artwork based on an image supplied by my client "from the internet". I told them I cannot copy it exactly but can create something of a similar nature. "Oh if ...
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Can I copy a logo for personal use?
I wanted to make a logo for 3 friends of mine, just for fun. They asked me if I could make a logo for them, because they simply want a team logo for a video game they all play competitively. Nothing ...
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Buying a logo from a graphic designer: who owns the copyright?
I am working with a graphic designer for a new logo. They are offering the logo, but have said there will be parameters put in place to prevent me from editing the logo myself.
Is this commonplace ...
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How do web designers and companies copyright their work?
Most of the small companies just create designs and do not apply for a copyright. How does copyright come into play if the designer or the company has not copyrighted their work?
user4740
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Can a logo using a generic typeface be copyrighted?
I've run into an issue with my printer denying printing, one of my designs is a parody of Hotline Bling and contains the familiar text in Helvetica Neue in the background.
The reasoning is because ...
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Re-utilizing Vector Stock Design
I am wondering if I can re-utilize Vector Images that I bought from a stock image site without using the exact design.
For example, I have purchased several vector images that are called Set of 28 ...
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Who owns the InDesign files?
As a company, if I hire a graphic designer to create ads, brochures, etc who owns the InDesign files? Does the designer or the company that hired the designer own the files? My company hired a ...
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Reuse previous design for new projects
I have a client that I did branding and design for a particular program within a non-profit organization.
The program is now cancelled by the organization the client was working for.
Now my ...
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Is it legally ok to show concepts for existing companies?
I sometimes do rebranding exercises for companies that already exist (eg. a new design for their website, a new logo, etc) but they're uncommissioned and done without asking for permission. Is it okay ...
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Can I digitally sign my graphic design works?
Apologies in advance if I misplaced this question and if it is a silly question to ask since I'm a newbie.
I want to certificate my graphics works(such as mesh models, animation, etc.,) to keep ...
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Would this be copyright or patent issue [closed]
I'll keep it simple. As a hobby I do photo edits for people on Instagram to help them promote things, in this case an up-and-coming body builder/power lifter. For the most part he has always just ...
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Who designed monokai color scheme?
I admire Monokai color scheme. Did the makers of Sublime Text design it or is it in use before Sublime Text arrived?
The second part of the question is that can I freely copy it for my own editor or ...
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Can I use a famous or "patented" color on my projects? [duplicate]
Can I use on my layouts a color that is patented by a company?
Let's say that a company logo uses the CMYK value 45 10 26 5 and they've patented that color to be used only and exclusively by them. ...
user56132
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Using Copyrighted Characters in Portfolio?
I've seen numerous design portfolios online that involve characters from movies, TV, games, you name it.
I'm building a portfolio and for one project I was thinking of creating a few mobile UI ...
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Know any books on copyright, trademarks, starting a freelance business for graphic designers?
I want to have a firm grasp of these topics and I don't know where to start. I want to know how to copyright my work, the differences between copyrights and trademarks as well as how to legally ...
user49385
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Logo license remove
I have downloaded small image that I want to use it on my website but I have to buy it and really I couldn't do that. Also I want to do some changes in it.
The question: If I downloaded the image and ...
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Popular brands logos to use in a template / copyright issue?
I've seen many templates sold on Themeforest and other similar marketplaces use popular brands logos (e.g. Apple, Samsung, Google, etc.) in 'Our clients" sections.
I also sell templates on different ...
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Can I use the Google font 'Lato' for a logo design?
I am creating a logo and would like to use the Google Font 'Lato', can I use this font in my logo design or are there copyright/limitations I need to worry about? I can't find anything online other ...
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Using fan art for book cover
Let's think about the Harry Potter franchise for a moment. Suppose that I wrote a great book about wizards, and I found an awesome water color of Daniel Radcliffe (the guy who played Harry in the ...
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Is it OK to copy a person's likeness in a realistic portrait without their permission?
Suppose I am designing a set of plates for the next D&D books (which I am not, unfortunately) and suppose I need to draw a monk with a slightly sneaky face. I have tried several concepts out of my ...
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Copyright for logo [closed]
I made a logo for a company, in the logo I used a vector inspired by a vector stored on a site that sells vectors / images.
In other words, I built a new vector based on the seen there. The vector is ...
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Prove the License Agreement
This is a problem I have been searching for a solution on for some time now. The company I am working for, name not needed, has images prior to my hiring that are being used in lesson formats. Their ...
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Is it legal to display third-party logos as part of "As featured in" on sites/printed ads without their consent?
Have seen more companies include logos of media outlets on their site/printed marketing material as part of the "As featured in" section.
Is it legal to do this without the companies' consent (...
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Save text/quote as an image fonts copyrights? [closed]
I have made a free Android app where you can write a poem, quote or any text and then save it as image and then you can share it where you want on the web. In my app you have the options to choose ...
user53472
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Is this design considered public domain?
Recently I was contacted by a local church who needs a logo, what they want is simple enough, I'm just not well-versed in the copyrights of DC comics/marvel, etc.
He basically said he wants his logo ...
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IP rights company - 3 PL designer (no contract)
We have been working with a designer from the very beginning of our company. She created us the logo and did products design as well.
After a year of first collaboration, we asked her to redesign our ...
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How to attribute Creative Commons art on a T-Shirt [duplicate]
I'm creating a T-shirt using an image licenced under CC BY-SA 4.0. The main problem I'm facing is how do I attribute the image used? Do I put the attribution on the site I sell the T-shirt on, or do I ...
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Does it break copyright to create derivatives of a font?
Linotte Heavy and Gotham Rounded Bold are almost alike. In fact, Linotte Heavy looks like it is derived from Gotham Rounded.
If I were to customise the glyphs of Gotham Rounded/Linotte Heavy to suit ...
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Having issues with copyrighted permissions [closed]
I would like to be able to sell copyrighted t-shirt designs in my business but I would like to know what I need to do to be able to do this?
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Can anyone copyright or trademark a punctuation or alphabetical symbol (grapheme) or only a font, typography or typeface which contains it?
I have this doubt after read about the registered (trademarked or copyrighted, I don't know exactly) SarcMark infamous symbol for mark sarcasm in texts.
Anyone can register a symbol or the idea of ...
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Designer right to obtain digital copies of work done as an employee of company
I've just lost my job and I did not manage to copy my design work from the company's computer.
I am aware that the employer is the rightful owner of work I have done during my time with the company, ...
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