Introduction
We often hear the word "copyright," but is it really that important? Are you worried that you may be violating copyright? There may be some people who don't know about it. I've put together some information about copyright, so I'll tell you about it.
What is copyright?
"Copyright" is the right given to the creator of a "work" (the "author") to prevent the work from being copied or used on the Internet without permission. (Source: "What is Copyright?" Copyright Information Center, a public interest incorporated association)
Copyright is a type of intellectual property right, and the rights of authors to their works are legally protected. Each and every work created as an expression of expression is a valuable asset that should be carefully protected.
A copyrighted work becomes the property of the creator and can be converted into money. In this case, we are handing over the right to use the illustration you requested "when, where, and how," but we are not handing over the "copyright."
What not to do
Use without permission, even for personal use
Make a statement
To subject something to unintended processing
Commercial use without permission
You may see this on the internet: "Save an image you like and post it on your SNS!" This is "unauthorized reproduction" and may be infringing copyright. Keep in mind that every copyrighted work has its creator's thoughts and there are people who support it, so take a moment to think back and be careful if you are doing this. In some cases, there is also a method called " quoting ," so please look into it.
In the copyright
Copyright consists of two types of rights: property rights and moral rights . Copyright is as explained above, but it also includes the following rights that must be protected!
What are moral rights?
This is the right to decide whether to publish the work and whether to publish the author's name . It is also the right to prevent the work from being modified against the author's will . This right to protect the author and the work cannot be transferred to anyone under any circumstances.
Publishing a work is an important asset for the author, as it can lead to the next job. The right to decide whether to publish it or not is with the author. While this is the premise, we understand that there may be cases where we are unable to publish due to circumstances, so please let us know in advance if you are unable to publish. We will also consult with you about the timing of publication, or will make it public once we have confirmed that you have published it.
Can I transfer the copyright and use it freely?
While we receive a fee for creating illustrations, we are often asked to "transfer the copyright to you so that you can use them freely," but we generally refuse this request. Therefore, we do not allow any use of the illustrations for any purpose other than that specified without permission.
For those who wish to transfer the copyright and continue their activities smoothly, we offer a price including the transfer of copyright , especially for logo designs. In other words, we may transfer the copyright depending on the conditions.
By the way, the illustrations sold on the platform "PIXTA, a search site for images and videos" are called "royalty free materials" and can be used anywhere and anytime . They can be purchased from 550 yen per image, so they are very convenient and flexible. If you have any requests, please contact us.
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lastly
I hope you enjoyed the discussion on copyright. To summarise...
Copyright is a type of intellectual property right, and the rights of authors in their works are legally protected.
Beware of copyright infringement!
Moral rights mean that the right to make a work public belongs to the author.
We do not allow copyright transfer, but it is OK if the conditions are met.
I wrote this article to help those who will be ordering illustrations from now on, but it also gave me an opportunity to reevaluate myself. What I thought was good may not have been protecting my work, I may have suffered losses, or I may have caused trouble for someone. Now that we are in 2025, we will continue to strive to make our service a good one, with a new start including a review, so that you can use it comfortably.
If you have any questions, please contact us using the contact form.
Reference: Copyright Information Center, a public interest incorporated association
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