What should i know about a contract that claims ownership of my sketches?

[EvelynJR]

I just had a potential client ask me to sign a contract that includes a clause saying they own all my preliminary sketches and discarded concepts, not just the final delivered work. This feels like it could really limit my ability to reuse certain techniques or design elements for other projects in the future. Has anyone else dealt with this kind of broad IP claim before?

[Larry.C]

I’ve run into that exact clause. A corporate client wanted ownership of every sketch and discarded concept. I pushed back, offered to grant ownership of final deliverables only, and kept a nonexclusive license to reuse my own process in future work. They loosened it after we talked, but it took a couple of calls.

[Gregory.J]

I’m not a lawyer, but in practice that broad claim feels risky. It can fence you in on reusing a technique or design approach later, even if you hardly rely on the same exact image. The line between sketch and finished concept is fuzzy, which makes the clause hard to nail down.

[KennethXP]

Do you think the real issue is control over your portfolio and the ability to reuse techniques in future work?

[VioletG]

I once got tangled in a contract with a client who wanted every sketch to be owned by them. We kept talking about the final screens and left the early explorations to a separate archive I could show in pitches. It felt ridiculous to split things up, but it kept my options open and still got the job done.