Fly Away Verdigris Necklace by mcstoneworks
A discussion recently emerged among members of one of my Etsy teams regarding angel policies. What are they? Angel policies are the rules and guidelines set forth by various craft supply manufacturers regarding the use of their copyrighted product. A great number manufacturers who produce rubber stamps, cutting dies, embossing tools, and even some patterned paper are very specific about whether or not it is legal for you to sell your creation using their product.
A few companies are pretty liberal with their angel policies, only requiring that your item must be hand created and not electronically or mechanically reproduced. Some require asking for written permission prior to sale. A few limit sale to venues of local nature, some put limits on how many times you can use an image, while others have a pretty complex angel policy and a separate – sometimes conflicting – terms of use policy.
Every company is different, and a small handful will aggressively protect their copyright. A fellow Etsy team member was told by a company that any use of their copyrighted material for resale would bring forth litigation.
Litigation? Yikes!
Few companies clearly encourage consumers to review an angel policy prior to purchase on their retail packaging, and many consumers don’t realize that selling a copyrighted image – even if it is sold in the form of a crafting tool – may land them in pretty hot legal water. I’ve met many a paper crafter who hit the panic button when they learned their favorite stamps and die cut shapes fell under some hefty resale restrictions. I was one of those crafters, and I liken it to being a plumber then finding out one day your favorite pipe wrench was intended for personal use only.
So why do these companies need an angel policy?
It’s always a good idea to protect any of your brands. If you don’t, you risk losing that brand’s identity and a lot of potential sales if copycats are allowed to take your idea and run. These companies also have artists to comp, staff to pay, etc. It’s all a part of running a business. I’m not saying all craft tool manufacturers are restrictive. I’ve been fortunate to find some great designs from some pretty liberal, smaller indie companies. I’m encouraging you crafters to research your brands a little more before you buy.
What is a professional crafter to do?
First and foremost, review angel policies prior to purchase. Most of these policies can be easily found on the manufacturer’s web site. If you still aren’t sure, contact them directly and ask for clarification. They’ll appreciate your inquiry and you’ll save yourself a headache and stress.
Since my angel policy revelation, I’ve been phasing out those stamps that are rather restrictive or in some way not conducive to my creativity. I no longer actively support companies that don’t have an artisan-friendly angel policy. I’ve also started creating my own stamps by carving some and having other designs pressed into rubber. It’s been a little bumpy, but in the long run I’ll truly be able to offer something that no one else can!
So the question I want to throw out to you is this: what do you think of angel policies and what more can crafting supply producers do for the professional crafter?
Very interesting article. Lots of good information I wasn’t aware of.
Thank you for featuring my angel wing necklace.
Michele
Very informative article; this is a very touchy subject. I can think of at least a couple of rubber stamp artists whose designs are off-limits.
How cool; we have the same idea! When I begin doing ArtClay designs, I plan to have stamps made of my own drawings and line art to avoid any discord and because, like you, I like my designs to be a little out of the ordinary.
Thanks for the info. Yet another landmine to try to dodge in this crazy world of trying to share my crafts with people that might appreciate it. Never would I have dreamed of so many rules, restrictions and worries.
Twitter: sneedlehands
says:
I think this is very good information to share with crafters. Thank you for doing that! As a knitter, I can only hope the yarn I use is free of these restrictive policies, although I know I cannot use just anyone’s pattern and sell the item.
Twitter: simpinvcards
says:
One thing I have to wonder after reflection on my post and the following comments, I have to ask if restrictive policies could actually be good for artisans? If we’re in a position where we truly have to rely on our own talents and abilities, would that spur more of our own innovation and creative growth? After all, if you only imitate will you ever innovate?
Just a few more notions to ponder!
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Twitter: catiesblue
says:
Fascinating post! And yes, a bit of a hot topic… I have to confess that before I started my own business, I didn’t think of angel policies. It just didn’t occur to me, but since everything I made was for myself, I suppose it didn’t matter.
Now that I have my own business, I can relate to the big companies. Like you said, they have overhead, too, and their products are their intellectual property. Now, when I go to buy a font or a digital stamp, I make sure to read the fine print.
As far as professional crafters, I’m with you – I like the idea of making my own stamps. This way, I know for sure it’s okay to use!
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Twitter: simpinvcards
says:
Susan – I haven’t run across anything concerning fiber and copyright issues, but it certainly does happen with fabric! If a fabric has well-known and easily recognizable/animated/fictitious characters printed on it, then it most likely is subject to resale and licensing restrictions.
Brandi – indeed I want less of a headache too! Sometimes, though, time doesn’t always allow for that sort of thing and not everybody has a knack or wants to deal with doing everything DIY.
I’d really like to see some of the bigger companies offer some royalty or fee-based licensing for reproducing it’s image in a commercial capacity on a project-by-project basis. This way, the professional crafter gets permission to use the image they need for their commercial application in turn paying a fee.
And here’s where it gets tricky. How do you regulate the use of one of your widely available products, especially in an area where reproducing images is so easy to do? Would it be prudent for a manufacturer to maintain a catalog of certain images available for crafting businesses only?
There’s a thousand different ways this issue could go. I do feel, however, there is a solution to this issue. It’s just a matter of working out that win-win situation.
~Jen