One of the most common questions clients ask is: “Do I own the design once I have paid for it?” The answer depends on your contract, and it is worth understanding the basics.
The Default Legal Position
Under most copyright laws (including EU and Maltese law), the creator of a work automatically owns the copyright. This means that by default, the designer or agency that creates your logo, brochure, or website owns the copyright — even after you have paid for the work. What you typically receive is a licence to use the design for your business purposes.
Full Ownership Transfer
If you need full copyright ownership (also called “assignment of rights”), this must be explicitly stated in your contract. Some common scenarios where full ownership matters:
- You plan to trademark the logo
- You want to modify the design yourself (or hire another designer to do so) in future
- You are building a brand asset that may be sold as part of a business acquisition
Our standard contracts include full ownership transfer of the final approved designs upon final payment. This means once the project is complete and paid in full, you own everything we created for you.
What Ownership Typically Includes
- The final approved design files (all formats)
- The right to use, reproduce, and modify the designs
- The right to register trademarks using the logo
- The right to transfer or sublicense the designs to others
What It Usually Does Not Include
- Preliminary concepts and rejected drafts (these remain our property unless agreed otherwise)
- Stock images, fonts, or third-party assets used in the design (these are covered by their own licences)
- Our design methodology, templates, or internal tools
Fonts and Third-Party Assets
If your design uses a commercial font, you may need your own font licence to edit the files in future. We will always let you know which fonts are used and whether you need to purchase a licence. Free fonts (like Google Fonts) do not require additional licensing.
Similarly, if stock images are part of your design (e.g., in a brochure or website), those images are covered by their stock licence, not your design ownership.
Protect Your Investment
- Keep your original design files (especially AI and EPS vector files) backed up securely
- Document which fonts and stock images are used in each project
- Ensure your contract clearly states ownership terms before work begins
- Register your logo as a trademark if it is a key business asset
Our Commitment
We believe that when you pay for a design, you should own it. Our contracts are transparent about what you receive and what rights transfer to you. If you have any questions about ownership for a specific project, just ask — we are happy to clarify.