08/14/2026
If you've already got a signed assignment from your designer, you're ahead of most people. But there's a gap in it that almost nobody checks.
An assignment transfers what the designer owned — not what they licensed.
If your logo was built with stock artwork from Canva, Adobe Stock, or anywhere else, that element was never the designer's to give you. The assignment is valid. It just doesn't reach that layer. You can hold perfect paperwork and still not own your logo.
Canva is the extreme version: no assignment exists at any price. There's no document that fixes it.
Some platforms handle it structurally — 99designs uses a Design Transfer Agreement where the winning designer assigns copyright to you on payment. But it only covers the winner. Losing concepts stay with their designers, so a runner-up you never paid for isn't yours either.
What to ask for:
1. The working file — not just the exported PNG
2. The source of every element in it
3. If they can't tell you where something came from, assume you don't own it
And file your business name as a standard character mark. It protects the words in any font or color, so your logo can change without touching your registration.
New here? Part 1 covered why Canva logos usually can't be protected — previous post.
Questions about your own mark? Link in bio.
Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Canva or 99designs. Marks referenced belong to their respective owners.
General legal information, not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created.
