iStockphoto - Logo Training Manual

7.0 - Legal requirements

iStock makes every effort to conform to the Copyright Act and Trademark Act with jurisdiction in Canada and any international intellectual property treaties that are applicable. iStock also uses contracted provisions to attempt to protect the rights of our designers and clients.

Unlike the rest of iStockphoto’s royalty-free collection, logos are not royalty-free because you can only purchase them once. They do not include a Legal Guarantee. You, as the contributing artist, should not be concerned about the legality of your logo as long as you follow these requirements and those outlined in the Logo Designer's Supply Agreement and the Logo Transfer Agreement.

Uploading any of the following is strictly prohibited, and may result in a lifetime ban or legal action:
  • Logo designs traced or derived from images you do not own the copyright to (such as images found on the Internet, existing logos or logo templates, images scanned from books or magazines, other artists’ work, etc.)
  • Logo designs containing recognizable faces or property without a signed release
  • Logo designs containing embedded copyright notices, personal signatures or watermarks
  • Logo designs containing copyrighted/trademarked/patented products
  • Maps and globes traced from copyrighted sources
  • Logo designs containing existing logos, registered and unregistered trademarks and trade names
  • Logo designs containing fonts that you do not have the rights to use
  • Logo designs containing other artist’s illustrations, including illustrations purchased from iStockphoto
  • Once your logo is uploaded, you cannot remove the file from the site for six months. After six months the file cannot be posted or sold elsewhere for an additional three months.

Unlike the royalty-free content available from iStock, logos are only able to be purchased one time.  Upon purchase, you will be required to assign all of your rights, including title and intellectual property rights, in the logo to the client.

While we do have an inspection process that helps us flag potential legal issues, ultimately you are responsible for the content of your designs. As such, it is very important that you take the time to research the designs that you submit. Make sure that you keep any reference material on hand in case of a dispute regarding the ownership of your design. If you're not sure about the legality of reference material you did not create, please contact Support.

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