

Ask HN: Are non-exclusive licenses common for logos? - cshipley

I own a freelance business and recently contacted an artist to create a logo for me. The artist responded with a contract stipulating that after creating the logo, I would have a non-exclusive license to do what I wanted, but they retain the right to post the image anywhere they keep their portfolio.<p>Should I be requesting full rights and then agree to license it back to them to display in their portfolio?<p>I guess I&#x27;m not really seeing what is protecting me wrt my logo.<p>What have others done to protect their rights wrt to their logo?
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techjuice
Normally exclusive and non-exclusive logos or designs are based on the amount
you are paying for the work. Normally the more expensive logos are exclusive
and in the contract the designer has a license to display the logo as the work
they did for you along with a case study or summary of the client.

A non exclusive would not be good for a business as the designer at any time
could make small changes and then use that logo for other clients in a
template format (You want original work). In which someone else that purchases
services from them could them come after you for having a similar logo.

It is all in the wording of the contract that you have to careful with.
Normally all work by a contractor is owned in full by those paying for the
work unless otherwise stated in black and white. If you need further guidance
I recommend talking with a lawyer to insure a proper contract is created that
is fair to you and any contractors that you may work with.

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sjs382
Usually it's the reverse. You own the full rights, and they have a non-
exclusive usage license. I'd also restrict their use in some way, too.

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dllthomas
_" I'd also restrict their use in some way, too."_

It seems like once you start actually doing business with the logo, trademark
should do the most important restricting. It may or may not still be a good
idea to restrict it further.

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redtexture
This artist is NOT your choice.

You must demand all rights in the artwork, and you may, if you wish, offer the
artist, a limited right to display his or her work.

You do NOT want to have partial rights to your own logo.

You want a work for hire agreement, in which you OWN ALL of the work produced.
Hire another artist if this is not acceptable to the artist.

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cshipley
This is pretty much the conclusion I came to. Fortunately, I got many replies
to my original ad so there are many others to chose from.

