License Agreements: Carrie Stephens Art

Below I cover all aspects of my Licenses, the Five Art licensing Agreement Types available and The Non-Exclusive Terms of Use.  Look at the license overview, first!

Use the Table of Contents to find what you need based on how you will be using my art, learn about Carrie Stephens or contact me if you have any questions!

Read on to find out how YOU can use my digital clipart art, printables, SVG Cutting files, Patterns, and other graphic assets to create everything—from arts and crafts or custom to products to sell for your small business.

Last Update: October 12, 2022

CSA Copyright

Carrie Stephens Art is protected under Canadian, International Copyright Law and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) as well as unfair competition laws of Canada, Foreign Jurisdiction, and International Conventions.

© 2022 Carrie Stephens Art | All rights are reserved. 

Single User Licensing

Upon Downloading, Carrie Stephens hereby grants you: a single user, a non-exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide right to use the graphics in the following ways, subject to the limitations set out in the terms of the license you hold:

If you are NOT using my clipart downloads for business promotion, distribution, sharing or profit, you can use it to make, design or craft anything that makes you happy, there just are a couple details you need to know.

Things you need to know for personal use:

• You will not own the copyright to MY art
  • When a licensee (you) downloads my art resources, the copyright is still mine–even if you purchase a license.
    
• Don’t share my art resources, assets, or file downloads!
  • Not on Facebook, not in groups and please don’t upload it to a drive, sharable library or drop box to give-away or sell—pardon my language, but that sucks, I work hard and just because it is digital, doesn't mean my work (time and developed skill) should be disrespected!   
    
• If you decide to sell something, you make…
  • Take the time to go over the licensing below and make sure you have the appropriate licensing and understanding of restrictions within the scope of your commercial (selling) needs!

Helpful Commercial Use License Terms.

• Terms of Use –An outline of how you may and may not use intellectual property (downloads).
• Design Assets — A design asset is a digital element, supply or tool that can be used as a component of a finished design. Assets can include fonts, color palettes, clipart, patterns, and shapes.
• Royalty Free — A royalty is a payment that is made based on the quantity of sales as opposed to a
• Personal Use — personal use of design assets requires that upon using them, you use meets none of the criteria for commercial use–as in making profit (exchange of money) or promotional purposes.
• Commercial Use — Commercial use involves an exchange of money or any gain. This includes promotional.
• Non-Exclusive — Non-exclusive means that when you purchase an asset, anyone who acquires a license before or after you can also use them.
• Copyright — a copyright holder owns all images unless they forfeit the rights or images are found within the public domain. License Agreements from the copyright holder dictate how their images may and may not be used when it comes to someone else using them for financial gain.
• Intellectual Property (IP) — Intellectual property is a creation of the mind, this includes, copyright, innovation, trade secret or process. The copyright holder has the right to prevent others from reproducing or copying substantial portions of their intellectual property.
• CSA — An abbreviation for Carrie Stephens Art!
• Finished Files — I refer to my art printables and developed compositions as “finished files”. This group of downloads consist of: coloring pages, wall art, stickers, collage sheets & craft printables and are intended for personal enjoyment only.
• License Agreement — A licensing agreement is a contract between two parties that grants a licensee—In this case, YOU—the right to use and / or earn revenue from the property of the owner—the licensor—In this case, Carrie Stephens—under the terms of use outlined in the agreement. Read more about licenses here.
• End product — An “end product” is a finished good (physical or digital) produced / developed as the result of a manufacturing process or design activity, for a new purpose.
• Supply Based Product — If your end-product will be used by someone else with the intent to create / manufacture something else using it, this is considered a “supply-based product.”
• Composition — A composition is a work that has been composed and arranged by putting together other elements to form a wider creative design and make it “your own”.
• Clip Art (Clipart) — Clip Art is a design asset (illustration) used to illustrate a concept or add a decorative enhancement to a wider design compilation.
• Digital Papers — aka: Digital Backgrounds, Digital Scrapbooking Papers, Digi Paper. Digital papers are typically 12-inch image files (jpg) that can be used for printing, creating digital art, images or memory keeping activity within a digital software–Digital Scrapbooks.

Limitations and Liabilities Disclaimer

The acceptable, ethical use of Carrie Stephens Art resources is the sole responsibility of the licensee (you). 

IMPORTANT: Under no circumstances will Carrie Stephens be liable to you or any third-party entity such as client / customer / manufacturer —for unforeseeable events, and / or outside damages—including, but not limited to lost profits, machine malfunction or business interruptions.

It is your responsibility to:

• Check Trademark Class Registration.
  • While I check trademark registrations upon creation of Art, if you are selling a product with words or phrases on it, using one of my files, you MUST self-check Trademark registration based on the product you are creating. I take responsibility for my own unintentional IP infringements, not yours.
• Understand artwork has not been exclusively developed for a specific purpose.
  • ClipArt is not exclusive, it does not have intent for any single specific use or custom need and as such, images are interpretive and characterized. Context and use are your design decisions.
• Use my images in an acceptable and ethical way.
  • Graphic resources and art are not intended to portray factual accuracy or be representative of history. If you use my images to represent a culture, or a group of people and it is found to be offensive, discriminatory or promote any misinformation intentionally, this is your responsibility to deal with the consequences.
• Read and understand the terms of the licenses.
  • If there is anything you don't understand about a single-user, non-transferable license and how the terms within each of the three license types relate to how you wish to use it for commercial purposes, ask questions instead of just assuming.

You May NOT distribute Carrie Stephens Art resources. These restrictions for distribution and design requirements apply to all Carrie Stephens Art, Downloadable graphic assets or “Finished” Craft / Art Printables & Licenses!

INCLUDING But Not Limited To: Sublicensing, Re-selling, Renting, Lending, “Giveaways”, Shares or claiming as your own.

• For Example:
  • Uploading CSA assets to a drive or cloud with the intent to distribute freely for third-party use.
  • Sharing resources as downloads in a group or with a friend.
  • Providing design assets to clients—claiming as your own.
  • Making customizable templates for other makers— photo albums, printable templates, Canva templates.
  • Embedding assets as is, to be extracted or manipulated.

Restricted User generated End-Products

Product types that I do NOT allow my resources to be used within regardless of which license purchased.
Scroll down further for a generous list of what you CAN Do!

• Web Templates
  • No inclusion within website templates sold as downloads within an online marketplace
• Apps
  • Custom licensing agreement required for any use of images AS IS. Email me with a proposal for a custom license, otherwise, CSA digital products can't be used within apps or digital platforms where the graphics are movable objects, and the focus of the app is design, sticker or image based. (Below you can see permissions for educational decks and games like boom and Easel by TPT.)
• Customizable (Movable Object) Digital Product Templates
  • This includes Photobooks, Canva, Pinterest Pins, PowerPoint Slides, lesson binders, customizable, image heavy planners with low content, PSD Files, etc.
• Print on Demand (POD) Marketplace Products
  • You may compose a wider design using my digital assets, have the design printed on a print on demand platform to sell them through your own brick and mortar or online business, but not upload images to a POD marketplace–Redbubble, Society6, Zazzle–for print on demand sales within the POD marketplace.
• Image focused, low-content books. (eg: ClipArt Image Collage Books)
  • Digital or printed (POD) — (Exception: Coloring Book Creator License)
• Stock
  • Images and other Graphics products–in any format.
• Ding Bat Fonts
• Logo Templates
  • You may create your own logo, but not sell a logo template file to be customized.
    *You must understand that your logo can't be copyrighted, you do not own the art.
• Digital Supplies & Craft Files
  • Cutting Files (Stencils or image cutting files)
  • Clipart Graphics
  • Digital Stickers (for good notes and other digital learning applications and apps)
  • Brushes or digital design supplies / graphics (including scrapbook kits, digital stickers.)
  • Digital Scrapbook / Collage Papers
  • Rubber Stamps (That reproduce the exact image)

Now that you have read the restricted list, here is a generous list of some of the things that you CAN DO and make! If your item (or similar) isn't on the list, let me know. Note: These permissions do not extend to SVG craft files or Finished Printable Downloads.

Examples of things you can make to sell!

• Apparel, Beauty and Home Décor (Physical Items Only / NO POD Marketplace Shops)
  • T-shirts
  • Tote Bags
  • Kitchen Towels
  • Coasters
  • Magnets
  • Nail wraps
  • Temporary tattoo sheets

• Paper Products
  • Greeting Cards & Invitations.
  • Day Planners and Organizer Books
  • Books & Covers (If focused on your own user targeted, useful content, books can be POD)
  • Sticker Sheets — (Extended Licenses REQ)
  • Party Decorations — Ready to decorate

• Crafting Supply Based Products (PHYSICAL Products–not digital downloads!)
  If the product you want to make with my resources has the user intent for someone to create something else with it, it is considered a supplies-based item and will REQ an extended license.
  • Embroidery Templates / Applique Transfers — (Extended Licenses REQ)
  • Fabric (Sold as supply FABRIC for makers, not POD) — (Extended Licenses REQ)
  • Stencils (cookie, cake, art, craft) — (Extended Licenses REQ)
  • Image Focused Print Outs
    • Paper Cutout Collage prints (for mixed media crafters) — (Extended Licenses REQ)
    • Decoupage Napkins — (Extended Licenses REQ)
    • Sticker sheets (collection of kiss cut images on sticker paper, not single) — (Extended Licenses REQ)
  • Texture plates (clay, dough) — (Extended Licenses REQ)

• Textile Goods
  • Digitized Embroidery Files — (Extended Licenses REQ)
  • Finished Apparel
    • created with custom designed Fabric (If you are selling the item created with fabric patterns that use my clipart, no extended license needed. If selling the fabric itself for someone to USE to make something, see crafting based products list above.)

• End-User Printables (Digital)
  • Holiday & Greeting Cards,
    • Customized or Blank inside, but must follow general composition
  • Reward charts & Sticker Books
  • Event & Party Decor
    • Custom Banners & Garlands
    • Toppers: Cake, Cupcake, Goodie Bag, Suckers
    • Labels: Candy Bar, Water bottle
  • Planners and Organizational Binder “book”
  • Coloring Pages or Coloring books (Coloring Book Creator License REQ)
  • Paper Bookmarks
  • Lead magnets & Info Packs (that also include your own original content)
  • Wedding / Party / Event
    • Signs and Wall Art
    • Party Invitations & Thank-You cards
    • Table numbers & Place Cards
    • Games
  • Decorative Sticker Sheets & Planner Stickers — (Extended Licenses REQ)
  • Educational Resources for Printing
    • Lesson Worksheets, Binders & Educational Activities
    • Themed Classroom Décor Packages — (Extended Licenses REQ)
      • Including: Organizational Labels, Wall Art, Signs & Posters, Bulletin board decoration

• Digital
  • Digitized Embroidery files — (Extended Licenses REQ)
    • with an extended license, my clipart images can be digitized for machine application. The embroidery file preview included for your customer must be provided as a low-resolution JPG.
  • Web Images, banners and buttons
    • Must be 72ppi and not offered for download, but used for decorative purposes on a website, sales page, blog, banner, etc.
  • Social Media Images and ads
    • Use clipart to create eye catching Pins for Pinterest, Banners, ads, social media promo images.
  • Educational Game, Slides or General Learning Based Applications
    • Applications and activities for students with an educational purpose can include my clipart images as movable or static objects within the activity, under a standard license providing the images cannot be lifted and the intent of the activity isn't focused ONLY on creating something for secondary purposes.
      

Carrie Stephens Art (CSA) offers FIVE different licensing options for digital product offerings.  

PUL – Personal Use License—Non-commercial use ONLY—not upgradable.

TUL – Trial Use License—Limited Quantity + Credit on Digital Creations.

SUL – Standard Use License—>Limited Quantity—no “Supplies”

EUL – Extended Use License—No quantity limits—”Supply” type items.

CBCL – Coloring Book Creator License—Essential for designing coloring resources

All Carrie Stephens Art resources can be used for personal / classroom use. A personal use only license will be applied to ALL “FINISHED files” / ready to print, Printables that fall under these three categories:

• Activities—Coloring Pages, Craft Templates, Printables
• Decorations—Posters, Printable Alphabets, Party Decor
• Art—Wall Art, Collage Sheets, Stickers, Printable Paper Designs (8.5×11).

• YOU MAY NOT: Distribute art / printables that have been labeled as personal use. (Distribution includes sublicense, resell, rent, lend, transfer, give away free, share or claim as your own.)

A Trial Use License will be applied on Cutting file, Sublimation, ClipArt or 12×12 Digital Paper downloads available as “Freebies” or marked as “Free Download”.

NOTE: Unlike Personal Use Only Licenses, Trial License allowances can be upgraded by simply buying a Standard License for that product.

The following restrictions / requirements apply:

TUL: SVG Cutting Files & Sublimation Images

• Create physical goods using SVG or SUBLIMATION files ONLY for your personal use.
• Have the option to upgrade to a standard license if you wish to sell a physical item you made using it–locally (offline) only. (As per “finished file” restrictions)

TUL: Graphics – Clipart & Digital Paper

If you download Clip Art or Digital Paper Pack with a Trial License, you can do everything with it that you can do with the Standard Use License, apart from quantity limits and credit requirements below. 

• Quantity limited: A combined>200 end products for promotion or commercial use.
• Credit Required: A direct link insertion is required for the use of this license within digital downloads you create to sell or give-away.

Upon purchase of each resource with a standard license, you may use the digital files to create a new end product under the terms, providing your end use of the different file types meets the outlined requirements below:

SUL: Svg & Sublimation Files

End Products: SVG cutting files and sublimation art printables are offered with a standard or trial use license only and are restricted for Online Shops or Print on Demand Marketplace sales. (Redbubble, Merch, Society6, etc.)  

• Distribution limit > 100 units. 
  • Purchase the item again for a renewal (license) if you go beyond this quantity of end products distributed using this set!
• SVG cut Files & Sublimation Printable Images are to be used to create physical items like t-shirts, Totes or Signs for personal, gifting or small business (local sales)
  • SVG and sublimations are not for selling prints or sublimation transfers.

SUL: Graphics – Clipart & Digital Paper

End Product design using clipart, stamps and digital paper resources has four straightforward requirements.

1. Distribution limit > 5000
2. The end product you compose / create must be significantly different than the licensed resource. 
   • To accomplish this, you will use effort and skill to combine multiple decorative elements within a broader design–this effort will ensure a new design that will stand on its own, is created.
3. The End product you create must not be directly competitive with the original resources used to create it.
4. The finished design must be flattened and the original art not extractable from your design by a 3^rd party.

An extended license for clipart and digital paper sets is needed when the end-product that you want to create will be used as a “supply” (craft or tool) for someone else to also create an end-product with. (Examples Below)

If you purchase an Extended Use License to use resources within the design of your “supply” product, you may use those graphic sets under the standard license terms, as well as apply the following additional terms and uses of the extended use license listed below.

• Unlimited end product distribution—no additional licenses to purchase or tracking of quantities sold.
• You may create products that replicate the original image. Apart from product types include on the restricted list. restricted-end-products

Please NOTE:

• An extended license purchase doesn’t mean you don’t have to put effort into creating an original, transformative design. This allowance is just if the product type doesn’t allow for it. (Like texture plates or embroidery files.)
• The only digital products I offer under an extended license are Clipart Sets & Digital Papers / Patterns. SVG's and Finished Printables like coloring pages are excluded.

Must have an extended license for:

• Texture plates for clay.
• Custom Fabric
  • Not for print on demand marketplace sales, but selling in a shop or using to make a product.
• Scrapbook Paper
  • physical product only
• Themed sticker sheets (printed only)
  • Please give it a theme, extended license or not, make it original to your business, not just the images on a white background.
• Digitalized Embroidery files.
  • Example art file provided w/in the download must be low resolution.
• Embroidery Templates
  • printed on fabric or patches

The coloring book creator license is a product license that can only be purchased with a specific product in my shop–The Coloring book Creator.

You must have this license if you wish to make coloring pages / coloring books to sell with my design resources. This license also allows you to use any of my other line art products bought with a standard license to make coloring books or printables.

DO NOT PURCHASE if you don't agree with the terms below. I get to set the rules on my own art 😉 Respect and support the creators if you are using it with the intent to make profit.

CBCL: 3 Requirements

The coloring book creator AND add-on sets are sold for the purpose of allowing you to create a visually appealing finished coloring design. Layering & using creativity in assembly is required.

Below are the required terms of using the coloring book creator to make and sell coloring pages.

I don’t want to see low effort junk a bunch of images on white pages and sold as coloring books, to protect my art and those who invested in this product.

1. Four DESIGN Elements (minimum) included on each page!

4+ elements includes any text you add in as a single element UNLESS you create a text-based poster where the text takes up 30+% of your page surface. In this case, the text can be counted as one or two of the elements, depending on the real-estate it takes on the page.

If your finished resource or product is educational or serves another purpose other than coloring, you can use less than 4 elements as long as the coloring / image focus is less than 1/2 of your page.

 NOTE: It is not something to stress over, just try to put a little creativity or secondary purpose in it! I just want to make sure that everyone isn't making coloring pages with the same single “main” images.

I included a wide variety of little bits, pieces and borders that can be added to a page to make it complete–confetti dots, swirls, etc.

Variety is key to the success of my product AND in your finished product selling.

2. Registration Required

Unlike my other licenses, registration for the coloring book creator is REQUIRED for commercial or promotional purposes. The Coloring Book Creator License is NOT active until you register!

HOW TO REGISTER YOUR LICENCE

With your purchase, you will get a link to register -a simple google form where you can just fill in your business name / blog, name, and email address and activate your single-user license!

REMEMEBER: If you want to make coloring pages to SELL to a third-party, that third party needs to register their own license unless it's a blog and you are making a guest post with a link back to your own site

3. Credit

Paid or FREE downloads w/ coloring being the focus activity.

• MUST include credit on the coloring page itself. NOTE: The credit line on a page must be visible, but it can also be unobtrusive w/a lower opacity -light grey. If your product is downloadable, free or paid, it must include the name or business you registered for the license.

Printed Book or Page (Paid or Free)

• When creating a book with coloring activities or a coloring book intended to be sold as a physical copy, credit can be in the credits page at the start of the book only and not on every page.
• If you are selling a physical copy or a coloring page or coloring poster for local market sales, your small line of credit should be there on the product. (again, it doesn't have to be HUGE)

Credit EG: Your Name / Shop (or brand)

Exceptions

• If you create something with a single image, but your own content takes up most of the page, you don't need to add your line of credit.

What is a license agreement?

A license is a legal agreement made between the “Licensee”(YOU)–and the “Licensor” (Carrie Stephens / copyright holder.) for the USE of assets and digital resources under terms as outlined.

It is your responsibility to understand your own needs as an individual user and ask questions prior to using the product and as such are responsible for upgrading or discontinuing your license if your needs exceed the outlined terms.

How does A License Agreement work?

By downloading digital products created by Carrie Stephens, you acknowledge this act as a binding legal agreement and understand that all intellectual property under this non-exclusive license remains the property of Carrie Stephens Art, worldwide. 

Carrie Stephens reserves the right to make changes to these Terms and License.

When Does The License Agreement Take Effect?

• You are bound to a license agreement upon purchase.

What If I Do Not Agree To Your Terms Of Use?

That's okay. Not every product is created for every type of user! I hope that you will find something else more suited to your commercial needs.

If you do not agree with the terms of use outlined in the license agreement above, do not purchase it as I will not enter a license agreement with you unless you agree with my terms.

Can i Modify The clipart to make it my own?

Modifying Images to fit a larger concept, theme or design using graphics software is essential to success. This isn't custom art, you need to make design choices, layer, recolor, clip it to solid shapes, erase, mask and resize to suit your final purpose.

Can i use These Graphics To Design Client Work?

YES! You may design on behalf of a 3rd party client, providing you are not claiming work as your own. Your source must be disclosed so your client understands the licensing terms of the clipart.

If you have a free or standard license as “the designer”, your client can then purchase their own license based on how they will use the finished design. You can purchase a license on their behalf, just make sure that you send them the receipt for their records, include the licensee's name within the “Note to Seller” Section at check-out, explain the license to your client and include a link to this page.

The reverse is also fine, if you are wanting to hire someone freelance to design something for you, I'm okay with you sending them the art to design, I get it. just be very clear that YOU are the only one that holds the license to use the artwork and after they are finished designing with it, they can't use it for any other commercial projects without purchasing another license for themself!