Freelancers create and deliver thousands of pieces of work on Fiverr every day. From blog articles to YouTube videos, logos to business plans, and everything in between. But who exactly owns the work you produce as a seller or purchase as a buyer on Fiverr?
According to Fiverr’s terms of service, a buyer owns the copyright to any work product delivered on Fiverr, unless the gig states otherwise. There are also some exceptions to this when it comes to stock images, voiceovers, and logos.
In this article, we look at how Fiverr deals with copyright, the copyright situation with logos, and whether you can resell work bought on Fiverr.
This article isn’t intended as legal advice. You should speak to a lawyer if you have any questions about the copyright of work you’ve bought or sold on Fiverr.
How Does Copyright Work?
Copyright refers to the legal ownership of a piece of work. It defines who owns the work and has the exclusive right to publish, reproduce, distribute, or sell it.
When someone creates an original piece, such as a blog article, photograph, video, or logo design, they hold the copyright to the work. When they sell the work, the copyright may transfer to the buyer.
If you’re a Fiverr buyer or seller, it’s important to understand how copyright works on the platform.
Do You Own What You Sell As A Freelancer On Fiverr?
Generally speaking, as a seller you don’t own what you sell on Fiverr. Once the gig is delivered and paid for, the copyright belongs to the buyer unless you clearly state otherwise in your gig description. However, there are some exceptions to this.
Under Fiverr’s terms of service, intellectual property rights, including copyright, transfer to a buyer once the work has been delivered and paid for.
However, a seller can keep the copyright to their work if they clearly explain this in the gig description. For example, a seller might state that the gig price doesn’t include copyright and instead offer a commercial use licence.
So if a buyer wants to use the work for a commercial purpose, they need to buy the licence. In this case, ownership of the work remains with the seller but the buyer has permission to use it.
Let’s take a closer look at the position of buyers.
Do You Own What You Buy On Fiverr?
As a buyer, you automatically own any work delivered to you under a gig unless a seller clearly states otherwise in their gig description. However, there are some exceptions to this general rule.
One exception is where the seller attaches a commercial use licence to their gig, as discussed above. Another exception is the use of stock images.
Some gigs include the use of a stock image in the work product. In this case, the buyer is granted a licence to use the image. They don’t have copyright or ownership over the image. Under Fiverr’s terms of service, these rights remain with Getty Images.
There are also specific rules around the copyright of voice over gigs. When a buyer purchases a voice over, the seller grants them the right to use the work for any purpose except for commercials, television, radio, and internet commercials. To use the voice over for commercial purposes, the buyer also needs to purchase commercial or full broadcast rights.
Another exception is a logo purchased through Fiverr’s Logo Maker.
Are Fiverr Logos Copyrighted?
For logos designed by Fiverr sellers on programs outside of the platform, copyright usually transfers to the buyer once the logo has been delivered and paid for. However, for logos purchased via Fiverr’s Logo Maker, the buyer is only granted a licence to use the work.
When it comes to logo copyright, Fiverr distinguishes between logos designed outside of the platform and those designed through Fiverr’s Logo Maker.
Where a seller uses an external program, such as Adobe, to create a logo then Fiverr’s usual copyright position applies. The buyer owns the logo once it’s been delivered and paid for, unless the gig description states otherwise.
This changes when it comes to logos purchased through Fiverr’s Logo Maker.
Fiverr’s Logo Maker
Fiverr’s Logo Maker allows buyers to customize and buy a template logo created by a Fiverr seller. For these logos, the copyright remains with the seller. Ownership doesn’t transfer to the buyer.
Instead, the seller grants the buyer a “worldwide, royalty-free, non-sublicensable, non-exclusive, and irrevocable” licence to use the logo. While this gives the buyer full commercial rights to use the logo, it means other buyers can purchase the same template. It also prevents the buyer from later reselling the logo.
Can You Resell What You Buy On Fiverr?
As a buyer, you can resell the work product you buy on Fiverr if you own the copyright to it. However, if you only have a licence to use the work, then you can’t resell it.
This is how agencies operate on Fiverr. For example, an agency might have a client needing a series of blog posts. So, the agency prepares the article outlines and then buys gigs from several sellers on the platform to write the articles.
As long as the seller doesn’t state otherwise, the copyright of these articles belongs to the agency once they’re delivered and paid for. The agency can then onsell the articles to the end client.
But if the work you’ve purchased through Fiverr is under a licence, then you can’t resell the work.
If you intend to resell what you’re buying on Fiverr, make sure you read the gig description and terms of service carefully to make sure you’re allowed to do so.
Be Clear About Copyright From The Start
If you’re thinking about becoming a seller or buyer on Fiverr, it’s important to understand who owns the work produced on the platform. And you should be clear from the start if the buyer will not own what you sell them (but they likely will in most cases). Hopefully this article has cleared everything up, so you can start earning on Fiverr with confidence!
Kate is an Australian freelance writer now based in Europe. She has contributed to Freelance Ready as both a writer and an editor, drawing on her legal background to write about the regulatory and financial aspects of freelancing. She’s also an expert at finding the best flat white within a 5km radius! Learn more about Kate here.
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