Usage Rights & Licensing

When commissioning an artist, one of the main aspects of the artist’s Terms of Service is the Usage Rights. Usage Rights dictate when and how the client may or may not use the artist’s work. There is no universal standard for these rules, each artist comes up with their own. The client can then agree to the rules and proceed with the commission, or disagree and, subsequently, find another artist whose ToS fit the client’s needs better.

The two main categories of Usage Rights are Personal Use and Commercial Use.

Personal Use

Personal Use means you are allowed to use the artwork (or any other commissioned material) in your personal means as long as you don’t profit from it financially. Personal Use typically includes social media avatars, phone wallpapers, personal print (if the artwork is meant to be printed) etc.

Commercial Use

If the artwork is meant to be redistributed in any way and/or the client will profit from it financially, it falls under the Commercial Use category. This usually includes merch, book covers, clothing design illustrations, reselling of physical pieces, and so on.

If you are unsure whether something falls under the Personal Use or the Commercial Use category, the best way to check is to contact the artist. Ask them if they allow you to use their artwork the way you want to, and, if they do, whether any additional compensation is required.

For more information on how to commission an Artist, please consult this article.

Still have questions left? Contact us via email! socials@ivyart.co