You design a sign for proposal to a client. They give the job to someone else....and then you discover your design is now their logo, company- wide. No 'thanks'. No 'we owe you at least something.' Ouch. It happens.
Here is the question: What if you had printed your design on a postcard and snail-mailed it to yourself to serve as postmarked proof when it was first submitted. Then sent them a copy with a bill for logo design...a fair amount. Would they respond? Would it hold up in the US as primary evidence?
I would appreciate your comments!
Posted by Preston McCall (Member # 351) on :
Perhaps this should be called a "Hillbilly" copyright?
Posted by PatRaap (Member # 4290) on :
Do you add any type of clause on your draft that you are sending to them to let them know that it belongs to you until they purchase it? We have this line at the bottom of our Art Template. At least that gives you a little to fall back on, to charge them.
"This drawing was prepared for illustration purposes and are intended for use at Raap Signs only. These rights are released by act of sale only."
Posted by Rick Beisiegel (Member # 3723) on :
Ditto to what Pat Raap says. Close to my wording too
Posted by Preston McCall (Member # 351) on :
Nice touch. I will use that one. I looked up a bit about trademarks and copyrights and apparently if you place a TM in a circle, it is considered a regional trademark, unregistered, but enforcable out to some reasonable area, if you have some bonafide proof when it was created. Not the R in a cirlce, but a TM. Still, they seem to forget about that "who owns it" clause because they did not sign it or buy.
[ June 13, 2019, 03:26 PM: Message edited by: Preston McCall ]
Posted by Alicia B. Jennings (Member # 1272) on :
When I send a design to a new or unknown customer, all over the design is my watermark logo reading "Signs by Alicia" Also, it is send in a very lo-resoultion. But you know, it happens to all of us. Even fancy guys like Dan Antonelli from Kick Start signs. His stuff gets copied all the time. Maybe not exactly, but the same flavor.
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