Understand The Copyright Issues in UI/UX: Protecting Your Designs 

If you’re both a creative thinker and gifted with a high degree of technical acumen, you may find UI and UX design to be a lucrative field. Working to improve the user interface/user experience for different apps and programs can be a great way to combine an aesthetic eye with an affinity for problem-solving.

As you approach this field, one important consideration is intellectual property protection. Simply put, you have every right to safeguard your original designs, keeping them from unauthorized or unwanted use. To do so, you’ll first need to develop a robust understanding of the copyright system.

Why Does Copyrighting Matter in UI and UX?

There are some reasons why copyrighting is an important step for those who work in UI and UX design, among them:

It Protects Your Original Work

Most obviously, copyrighting is a way for you to maintain control over your original work. When you create a unique UI/UX design, you have every right to dictate if and when others can use it, to be properly credited, and to be justly compensated.

Copyrighting Boosts Creativity

Another benefit of the copyrighting system is knowing that their work will be adequately protected helps designers feel free in their creativity. In other words, copyrighting is good for the health of the entire field.

It Opens New Revenue Streams

Copyrighting also makes it possible for designers to license their work, which turns them into revenue streams. For designers, copyrights are an essential path to monetization.

A Copyright Provides a Mechanism to Enforce IP Protections

Finally, what happens if anyone ever uses your designs without proper authorization? If you want to have any kind of legal recourse, you’ll need to have your intellectual property fully covered by a copyright.

Copyrighting UI/UX Designs: Best Practices for Designers

There are several reasons to pursue copyrighting for your UI and UX designs. Now the question is how. Consider a few best practices for UI and UX designers.

Be Sure You Understand the Basics

First and foremost, take the time to understand the basics of copyright laws. Familiarize yourself with the terms of what’s protected (original works of authorship), and what’s not. Also understand that copyrights are automatically created upon the completion of your work, which means you don’t necessarily have to go to a lot of work to establish your copyright. (You may wish to register it; more on that in a moment.)

Document Your Original Work

Should there ever be any dispute about your authorship, you’ll want to be able to prove the work is yours. The best way to do that is to maintain thorough documentation. What that means is, that you’ll want to keep records of every evolution and iteration to your design.

Include Copyright Notices

To preserve your copyright protections, and to avoid any kind of dispute, you will want to include a copyright notice within the design itself. This may be as simple as the copyright logo ©, followed by your name (or business name) and the year. This is basically just a public declaration that the work belongs to you.

Register Your Copyright

As we noted above, copyright status is automatic, occurring by default when you create an original work. However, UI/UX designers may wish to take the extra step of formally registering their work with the appropriate copyright office. This offers some added legal benefits, including the ability to seek damages if your work is used without authorization.

Consider Licensing Agreements

In addition to copyright, you may wish to protect your work with licensing agreements. This specifies how your customers can use, modify, or distribute your work. This benefits you by providing a path to monetization, but it also helps to clarify terms of use for your user base. It’s a win-win scenario.

Protect Your Work with Watermarks

If you decide to share your design work online or in any kind of portfolio, think about using watermarks. Watermarking is an important and fairly simple way to deter unauthorized use. This is especially important for any preliminary work that you make available to the public.

Consider an LLC for Further Legal Protection

Copyrights and licensing are two important tools to safeguard your intellectual property. Another resource to consider is the Limited Liability Company, or LLC.

Registering your UI/UX design business as an LLC helps you put legal liability protections in place. If there is ever any legal dispute over your work or its copyright status, an LLC will enable you to limit your risk exposure. 

So what’s the process for registering your UI/UX design business as an LLC? The process can vary from state to state, but it usually looks something like this:

• Acquire a Registered Agent to receive legal correspondence on your business’ behalf. You may wish to hire a third-party service to handle this role; for more information, check out Northwest Registered Agent reviews.
• File Articles of Organization with your Secretary of State. When you do so, you will also need to pay your state’s registration fee, which may be anywhere from $20 to $300, just depending on your state.
• You may also wish to create an Operating Agreement, which outlines the terms of any business partnerships you have, whether now or in the future. This is an important way to reduce your risk of legal tension down the road.

Protect Your UI/UX Design Work

The bottom line: When you create original work, you deserve a way to protect it. One of the best avenues for doing so, while also creating opportunities for revenue, is to take full advantage of the copyrighting system. Use this guide as a jumping-off point for your copyright efforts.