Just caught a sneaky 'work for hire' clause in a freelance graphic design contract

I was reviewing a job for a brewery in Denver and almost missed that they'd own everything I made, even unused sketches and concepts. I had to add a line saying I keep rights to preliminary work and can use it in my portfolio. Has anyone else had to push back on a clause like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

casey34217d ago

Good catch on that. Did you also specify they only get rights to the final approved design? I mean, I've had to write in that unused concepts revert back to me, and they only get a license for the one they pick. It's a pain but stops them from owning your whole process.

ray_burns6017d ago

Consider the client's point of view too. If they pay for three concepts, they might feel they own those three ideas they funded. A better way is to clearly state the fee covers exploration work, but the final bill buys the license for the single chosen design. This makes the deal feel fair on both sides and avoids bad feelings later.

jennyfisher17d ago

Yeah, adding that portfolio clause was smart. I always make them list exactly which files they're buying, so there's no gray area later.