Can I trademark my logo that I created using Canva?
If you want to trademark your logo, it is important that you own the copyright in that logo.
Normally, I would recommend that you obtain a Letter of Assignment from the designer, unless the previous terms of service have been clear enough about an assignment of the copyright in the logo to you.
However, in the case of Canva, they will not sign a Letter of Assignment, not least because they have millions of users.
This is because you are only licensed to use Canva’s stock content e.g. photos and graphics on a non-exclusive basis.
Let's see what Canva has to say about the matter…
They say:
“If you’d like to create logos on Canva that you can register as a trademark, there are two ways you can go with:
- i) Design an original logo from scratch in Canva
In creating a unique logo in Canva from scratch, you can use basic lines and shapes from our Free library. You can also use all of our fonts.
However, you can’t use stock content (e.g. photos and graphics) as we only give you a non-exclusive licence to this. Other Canva users are free to use the same content which means that using stock content for your logos isn’t suitable for use in a trademark. Elements in a logo need to be exclusive to you.
- ii) Upload your original logo to Canva
You can upload your own logo design to Canva. This might be a logo you designed yourself or one you commissioned a graphic designer to create for you.
After uploading your logo, you can use Canva to create branded collateral for your business, like social media content, business cards, flyers, and so much more.”
You can view what they have to say at https://www.canva.com/en_gb/help/trademarks-logo/
Your decision is then whether to keep your logo in its current form and to accept that you won’t be able to trademark it or you could hire a designer to create a bespoke design for you, based on the Canva image and ensure that you have an assignment in the services agreement.
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