Digital Product Licensing For Products I Sell
License FAQ
Files I sell on Etsy and other digital venues are my designs. I took the time to craft them. Please respect the craftsmanship of your fellow Etsy artists and craftsworkers by being honorable and following the agreement below in letter and spirit.
By purchasing, you are agreeing to the following terms and use:
- You may use these designs to make finished items for personal use and gifts only.
- You may not use these designs on items you sell. You must purchase the commercial usage license. (Contact me directly through the store.)
- You may not share, loan, lease or redistribute these designs
- You may not resell these designs or files.
- You may not call these designs your own work.
- You must purchase the personal use license before purchasing a commercial use license.
What Constitutes a Design?
When you purchase a digital download from me, it is ordinarily a zipped folder with included files. For instance, I can create a downloadable folder that includes 6 border shapes in three sizes. That constitutes 18 separate designs available in four popular formats, png, eps, dxf, and svg. So if you use a small round circle border in svg format, that’s one design.
What Constitutes a Cut File?
Files for use with laser cutters or Cricut printer/cutters often use what are called “cut files”. Most users prefer svg format. Other file formats often included are png, dxf, eps, pdf, etc. Other than PNG files, these are all relatively easily converted between each other. In my case, I provide four different file formats for cut files: png, dxf, eps and svg. The PNG file is provided for easy viewing in a file explorer folder because png and pdf files are often the only file format that is visible from within a regular file explorer window. PNG’s are generally not great as cut files because they are bitmaps. Eps, dxf and svg files that I sell are line-art files, making them ideal for use with cutting and laser etching machines.
When Should I Buy a Commercial License?
If you are planning on selling t-shirts, mugs, cards, certificates, any digital or physical object, etc. that incorporates my design, I require you to purchase a license for the use of that design.
Physical Objects
If you are selling a physical object such as a coffee mug, t-shirt or paper card, no additional manipulation of my designs is required, so long as you purchase the appropriate commercial license. Of course if you’re using my designs, I hope you’ll use them in combination with elements of your own design for your physical retail item.
Digital Objects
If you are reselling my design incorporated into a digital product, the finished product must be significantly different from my original design so that it is obviously unique. You must purchase the appropriate personal and commercial license. It must include significant elements that are not of my design. For instance if you resell a downloadable birthday card with one of my borders incorporated, there must be other significant elements such as text and graphics that are of your own design.
Some Digital Caveats:
You may not simply add some words and resell each of my manipulated designs as your own cut file package, even if you purchase the commercial license for each design. Your deliverable digital download product must be something other than svg/cut files. For instance your product may be a printable daily reminder, or printable birthday cards or printable memo board, or printable calendar. You may not ever sell my designs incorporated into your cut file instant digital downloads of any kind in any venue. If you have any doubts or concerns, contact me through the Etsy store interface.
Some digital designs I’ve created will never be allowed to be resold or re-incorporated into products you are selling. When this is the case, the product will include the statement: “No Commercial License is available for this instant digital download.” In this instance, you must only use them for your own personal creations. These will likely include:
- digital video products
- looped video backgrounds
- looped video foregrounds
- animated lower thirds
- animated stinger transitions
- animated callouts, borders, etc.
- additional animated imagery/video suitable for video conferencing/recording
- digital still products
- still photo backgrounds
- still photo foregrounds
- static lower thirds
- static callouts, borders, etc.
- additional static imagery suitable for video conferencing/recording
Any digital assets/designs for video production that you think may be useful for commercial purposes, please contact me through the Etsy store interface.
When in doubt purchase the appropriate commercial license.
What commercial licenses will be available?
If you do not yet see a commercial license available in my store, you will need to contact me through the store interface to ask me to create one. These will be the licenses that will be available as the store gets started:
- $9.99 – You are selling 51 to 200 units incorporating my design:
- $19.99 – You are selling 201 – 500 units incorporating my design:
- $29.99 – You are selling 501 – 2000 units incorporating my design:
- $39.99 – You are selling 2001 – 5000 units incorporating my design:
- Additional units – contact me.
I will require the SKU of the personal license you purchased, the file name of the design you will be using and a link to your Etsy shop for the commercial license to be valid.
What happens if I find I’m selling more than the number of units I expected that incorporate your (LaughterOnWater’s) design(s)?
Please buy additional commercial license units in the amount you’ve sold. Buy additional commercial license units if you think the design will continue to sell well to keep up with the units. We all win when we abide by the commercial license and Etsy’s rules.
Thanks for considering a commercial license for my content and designs! I hope to see your creations on social media! Tag me @LaughterOnWater just about everywhere.