If you’re thinking about starting a business with your Cricut or Silhouette, you’re going to need some SVG files to make your products. Before you start selling though, you need to make sure that the SVG files you purchase are licensed for commercial use. If your SVG files are only licensed for personal use, you aren’t allowed to sell anything with them. If you do, you’re not only disrespecting a fellow artist, but you can run into legal issues that can ultimately ruin your business. Not fun! So what is the difference between commercial use and personal use? I’m so glad you asked!
Personal Use
If you like to craft as a hobby, and don’t plan on selling any of your creations, then you’ll be using SVG files for personal use. Personal use means that you will be using the design for, well, personal use. You cannot profit in any way off of the item you create. You can’t sell the item or even trade for the item. For example, you can make a porch sign for your own home with a personal use license. You cannot make a porch sign and sell it on your Facebook page. You cannot make a porch sign for your friend in exchange for a haircut. To do this, you would need a commercial use license.
Most of the time, examples of personal use include:
- Making something for yourself or your home.
- Making something as a gift for a friend. Note the word gift here. Your friend cannot pay you for the item, whether it’s with money or with goods or services.
Commercial Use
If you are going to be selling the items you create with an SVG design, you will need a commercial use license. Commercial use includes creating a physical item to sell as well as creating marketing materials for your business (ex. your business logo or a social media graphic).
Some SVGs come with a commercial use license included, and sometimes you can purchase a commercial use license separately. The license terms are usually set by the SVG designers. Each designer will let you know how you are allowed to use their product. If you are purchasing an SVG on Etsy, most of the time the license terms are included in the listing’s product description.
End Products for Sale
Usually, there are a certain number of end products for sale that you are allowed to create with an SVG design. An end product for sale is an item that you create and sell to a customer. For example, sometimes the designer will only allow you to sell up to 100 products with their design. With my commercial use license, you can select the number of end products for sale you will be creating, with a maximum of up to 1,000 products. If you are selling more than 1,000 products with an SVG design (go you!), you can always contact me for a larger commercial use license.
Commercial Use License Restrictions
It’s important to note that when you purchase a commercial license for an SVG design, you are not purchasing the rights to the design. You are purchasing the rights to sell the design on a physical product. The designer will always hold the rights to the design itself.
Generally, with a commercial license to an SVG design, you can not:
- You may not resell the files in any way. A commercial use license is only for the selling of physical products.
- You may not alter the design and then sell it in any form.
Congratulations! You’ve learned the basics of commercial use and personal use. Feel free to spread the word, and get crafting!
The information provided above is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as legal advice.