Design is intellectual property before it is anything physical. Because the studio delivers concepts, drawings and documentation rather than finished objects, the question of who owns what matters a great deal. This policy sets out our approach to ownership, licensing and the rights that remain with each party.
1. Purpose and scope
This Intellectual Property Policy governs the creative and proprietary materials connected with our website and with the design services we provide. It applies to visitors to the site and to clients who engage the studio, and it should be read together with our Terms of Service and our Project & Custom Design Policy. Where a signed proposal or agreement states different terms, that agreement prevails.
2. Ownership of website and studio materials
All content on this website, including text, layout, graphics, illustrations, logos and the underlying code, is owned by the studio or used with permission, and is protected by intellectual property laws. Nothing on the site transfers any ownership to you, and you may not copy, reproduce or republish it for commercial purposes without our prior written consent. You are welcome to view the site and to share links to it.
3. Ownership of project deliverables
The concepts, sketches, drawings, plans, specifications and other documentation we prepare for a project are original creative works. Until a project is completed and all fees are paid in full, ownership of these materials, including copyright, remains with the studio. We create them for the purpose of your project, but ownership does not pass automatically with delivery of drafts or interim files.
4. Licence granted on full payment
Once an engagement is complete and all fees have been paid, we grant you a licence to use the final deliverables for the agreed purpose, namely the realisation, fabrication and enjoyment of the specific project they were designed for. Unless your proposal states otherwise, this licence is for that project and does not include the right to resell the designs, to mass-produce them, or to register them as your own intellectual property.
5. Right to have the design built
The licence described above includes the right to engage a maker, joiner or contractor of your choice to build the piece from our drawings for your own use. You may share the relevant documentation with that maker for that purpose. It does not grant the maker any independent right to reuse the design for other clients, and we ask that our authorship be respected throughout.
6. Rights retained by the studio
We retain ownership of the skills, methods, techniques and general know-how we use across all of our work, together with any tools, templates or reusable approaches that pre-date or sit behind a specific project. Nothing in an engagement prevents us from undertaking similar work for other clients or from drawing on our accumulated experience, provided we do not reuse content that is genuinely unique to your project.
7. Preliminary and unselected concepts
During a project we may present several directions, of which only some are taken forward. Concepts, variations and preliminary studies that are not selected remain the property of the studio. We may develop or adapt such unused ideas for other purposes, since they do not form part of the final, paid-for deliverables licensed to you.
8. Materials you provide
You may share reference images, briefs, measurements, brand assets or other materials with us. You retain ownership of what you provide, and by sharing it you confirm that you have the right to do so and grant us permission to use it for the purpose of your project. You are responsible for ensuring that materials you supply do not infringe the rights of any third party.
9. Third-party and reference materials
Our designs are original, but they may draw on general influences, standard construction principles and publicly available references, as all design does. Where a deliverable incorporates any third-party element that carries its own licence, we will tell you, and your right to use that element will be subject to the relevant third-party terms.
10. Confidentiality
We treat the details of your project as confidential and do not share them outside the studio except as needed to deliver the work or as described in this policy. In turn, we ask that you keep our proposals, pricing and detailed methods confidential. This obligation continues after a project ends, and is described further in our Project & Custom Design Policy.
11. Portfolio and promotional use
Unless we agree otherwise in writing, the studio reserves the right to document completed work and to display it, in the form of drawings, concepts or photographs, in our portfolio and promotional materials, with appropriate discretion. Where a project is sensitive, we are happy to discuss anonymising it or to agree a hold-back period. We will always respect a reasonable request for confidentiality.
12. Trademarks and brand
The Craftlure Timber name, wordmark and visual identity are our trademarks and may not be used without our written permission, except to refer to the studio fairly and accurately. You may not use our identity in a way that suggests endorsement, partnership or affiliation that does not exist, or in any manner likely to cause confusion.
13. Respecting the rights of others
We respect the intellectual property rights of others and expect the same in return. If you believe that any material on our site or in our work infringes your rights, please contact us using the details below with enough information to identify the material and the basis of your concern. We will review the matter promptly and respond in good faith.
14. Changes to this policy
We may revise this Intellectual Property Policy from time to time. The current version, with its revision date, is always published on this page and applies to engagements entered into after it is posted. Specific terms agreed in a signed proposal will continue to govern that engagement.
15. Contact
For any question about ownership, licensing or the use of creative materials, you can reach the studio using the details below.