It doesn’t matter if you create templates for documents,
websites, or applications. No one cares if you’re selling templates or giving
them away for free. Ignorance is not an excuse. If you create a template using
someone else’s elements or designs, you are putting yourself at risk for legal
action. Copyright violations are serious and can cost you money.
What is Copyright Infringement?
Copyright infringement involves violating someone’s
intellectual property. If you were to use a font in one of your designs that
was free for personal use only, and you sold that design on a medium like
etsy.com, you would be guilty of copyright infringement. Penalties could
involve having a listing disabled, having your shop shut down, and having to
pay restitution to the original copyright holder.
How Can I Avoid Copyright Infringement?
You can this legal pitfall by not using images or items
created by others in your templates. You can also use items that are available
to use for commercial use. You may have to buy a license or use a site that
allows users to incorporate creations into their templates. Google Fonts can be used commercially at no cost. Pixabay offers users options to use their
photos commercially without payment.
Just because you can integrate something you find online
into a template doesn’t mean that your actions are legal. If you use something
from a major brand, you’re at increased risk of being caught and punished.
These larger brands have agents trolling listings and websites intentionally
searching for copyright violations. It’s not worth the risk.
Even if the artist is relatively unknown, it’s not hard for
individual users to find their creations using online searches. Many artists
regularly search for violations and their fans will often tip them off. Stick
to using paid or attribution free sites for design elements. Better yet, learn
to create your own! You’ll be glad you did.
