Terms and Conditions

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Dr. TiqueStar
Artist, Illustrator, Art Director & Concept Developer
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Effective date: 8 October 2026

These Terms & Conditions apply to all quotations, proposals, commissions, assignments, creative services, products and other agreements between Dr. TiqueStar and the Client, unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing.

By accepting a quotation, proposal, commission or order from Dr. TiqueStar, the Client agrees to these Terms & Conditions.

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1. DEFINITIONS

Dr. TiqueStar, I, me or my means Dr. TiqueStar, acting as an independent creative professional and sole proprietor.

Client, you or your means the person, company, agency or other entity commissioning or purchasing work from Dr. TiqueStar.

Work means all creative output produced by Dr. TiqueStar, including but not limited to illustrations, artwork, designs, characters, logos, lettering, concepts, visual identities, art direction, storyboards, sketches, animations, photographs, videos, patches, collectibles, physical objects, digital assets and related creative material.

Final Work means the specific creative output expressly identified for delivery in the applicable quotation or agreement.

Source Files means editable or production files, including but not limited to AI, PSD, INDD, SVG, layered files, working files, sketches and other underlying production material.

Usage Rights means the specific rights granted to the Client to use the Final Work.

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2. AGREEMENT & PRIORITY OF DOCUMENTS

A binding agreement is formed when the Client accepts a quotation, proposal or commission from Dr. TiqueStar, whether by signature, written confirmation, email approval, payment of a deposit or by instructing Dr. TiqueStar to commence work.

The quotation or project agreement determines the specific scope, price, deliverables, deadlines and Usage Rights for that project.

These Terms & Conditions apply unless the quotation or written agreement expressly states otherwise.

In case of conflict, the following order of priority applies:

1. A specific written agreement or signed contract;
2. The accepted quotation or proposal;
3. These Terms & Conditions.

Any purchasing terms, supplier terms or other conditions issued by the Client do not apply unless expressly accepted by Dr. TiqueStar in writing.

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3. QUOTATIONS

Quotations are valid for the period stated in the quotation. If no validity period is stated, a quotation remains valid for 30 days.

A quotation is based on the information available at the time it is prepared.

Changes to the brief, scope, deliverables, number of concepts, revisions, deadlines or intended use may result in additional charges.

Any work requested outside the agreed scope will be charged separately.

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4. BRIEF & CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES

The Client is responsible for providing accurate and complete information, references, materials, specifications, approvals and feedback reasonably required to complete the assignment.

The Client warrants that any material supplied to Dr. TiqueStar may lawfully be used for the purpose of the assignment.

The Client is responsible for obtaining permission for any third-party material, trademarks, photographs, fonts, logos, text, music or other intellectual property supplied by the Client.

The Client indemnifies Dr. TiqueStar against claims arising from the Client’s unauthorised use or supply of third-party material.

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5. FEES & PAYMENT

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, a 50% deposit is payable before work begins.

The remaining 50% is payable upon completion and before final delivery of production-ready files or transfer of Usage Rights.

Dr. TiqueStar is not required to commence work until the required deposit has been received.

Invoices are payable within the period stated on the invoice. If no period is stated, payment is due within 14 days.

If payment is overdue, Dr. TiqueStar may:

– suspend work;
– withhold delivery of files and materials;
– suspend or revoke any Usage Rights not yet granted;
– charge statutory or contractual interest where applicable; and
– recover reasonable collection costs to the extent permitted by law.

Suspension caused by late payment does not constitute a breach or delay by Dr. TiqueStar.

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6. CANCELLATION

Once work has commenced, cancellation by the Client does not automatically entitle the Client to a refund.

In the event of cancellation, the Client remains responsible for:

– work already completed;
– work in progress;
– committed third-party costs;
– materials purchased specifically for the assignment;
– non-refundable expenses; and
– any agreed cancellation fee.

The deposit may be retained to cover work performed, reserved production time and other costs.

Where the value of work performed exceeds the deposit, the Client will be invoiced for the difference.

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7. REVISIONS & APPROVAL

The number of revision rounds included in a project will be stated in the quotation.

A revision means a reasonable adjustment to an existing agreed direction.

A new concept, substantially changed direction, new brief, additional deliverable or redesign is not considered a revision and may be charged separately.

The Client is responsible for providing consolidated and timely feedback.

Once a design, concept or stage has been approved, subsequent changes may be charged additionally.

If the Client does not provide required feedback or materials within a reasonable period, the project schedule may be adjusted accordingly.

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8. DEADLINES & DELIVERY

Any deadlines supplied by Dr. TiqueStar are estimates unless expressly agreed in writing as fixed deadlines.

Dr. TiqueStar is not responsible for delays caused by:

– late feedback;
– delayed approvals;
– missing information or materials;
– changes requested by the Client;
– third-party suppliers;
– technical problems outside reasonable control;
– illness;
– force majeure; or
– other circumstances beyond reasonable control.

A delay does not entitle the Client to cancel or claim compensation unless otherwise required by law.

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9. COPYRIGHT & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Unless expressly transferred in writing, all copyright and other intellectual property rights in the Work remain with Dr. TiqueStar.

Payment for creative services does not, by itself, constitute a transfer of copyright.

This applies to both Final Work and unused or rejected creative material.

Dr. TiqueStar retains all rights in:

– sketches;
– drafts;
– concepts;
– rejected concepts;
– unused designs;
– alternative versions;
– preliminary artwork;
– working methods;
– creative processes;
– templates;
– techniques;
– visual approaches;
– pre-existing characters;
– pre-existing artwork;
– pre-existing intellectual property; and
– other material not expressly included in the Final Work.

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10. USAGE RIGHTS / LICENCE

Unless otherwise stated in writing, the Client receives a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Final Work solely for the purposes, media, territory and duration specified in the quotation or written agreement.

No rights beyond those expressly granted are implied.

In particular, the Client may not, without written permission from Dr. TiqueStar:

– resell the Work;
– sublicense the Work;
– transfer the Work to another party;
– create derivative products;
– use the Work for merchandise;
– use the Work for mass production;
– use the Work in NFTs or blockchain-related products;
– use the Work to train, develop or improve artificial intelligence or machine-learning systems;
– permit third parties to exploit the Work; or
– use the Work for purposes substantially different from those agreed.

Additional Usage Rights may be purchased separately.

Where the Client requires worldwide, perpetual, exclusive or otherwise expanded rights, these rights must be expressly agreed and may result in an additional licensing fee.

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11. COPYRIGHT TRANSFER

A transfer of copyright is not included unless expressly agreed in a separate written agreement.

Where copyright is transferred, the transfer applies only to the rights specifically identified in that agreement and only after full payment has been received.

Until full payment, no copyright transfer or expanded Usage Rights shall take effect.

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12. LOGOS & BRAND IDENTITIES

Unless copyright transfer is expressly agreed in writing, the creation of a logo or visual identity does not automatically transfer copyright to the Client.

Where a logo is intended to be registered as a trademark, the Client is responsible for trademark searches, registration, legal clearance and ongoing trademark protection unless otherwise agreed.

Dr. TiqueStar does not guarantee that a proposed name, logo, character or design is legally registrable or free from third-party rights.

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13. CHARACTERS, ORIGINAL IP & EXISTING WORK

Characters, concepts, visual systems and other intellectual property created by Dr. TiqueStar independently of a specific Client assignment remain the property of Dr. TiqueStar.

This includes, without limitation, existing or future Dr. TiqueStar characters, concepts, collectible designs, visual experiments and related intellectual property.

A Client commission does not grant ownership of such pre-existing or independently developed IP unless expressly agreed in writing.

Where a Client commission incorporates pre-existing Dr. TiqueStar IP, the Client receives only the Usage Rights expressly specified in the applicable agreement.

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14. SOURCE FILES

Source Files are not automatically included in a project.

Unless expressly stated in the quotation, Dr. TiqueStar retains ownership of all Source Files.

If Source Files are requested after completion, Dr. TiqueStar may charge an additional fee for their preparation, transfer and/or licensing.

Delivery of Source Files does not itself transfer copyright or other intellectual property rights.

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15. AI & MACHINE LEARNING

Unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing, the Client may not submit, upload or otherwise provide the Work, Source Files or other proprietary creative material supplied by Dr. TiqueStar to generative AI systems, machine-learning systems or datasets for the purpose of training, fine-tuning, developing or improving such systems.

The Client may use AI tools as part of its own workflow only where such use does not infringe Dr. TiqueStar’s intellectual property rights or alter the agreed Usage Rights.

Dr. TiqueStar reserves the right to refuse the use of generative AI in the production of commissioned work where this is inconsistent with the agreed creative process.

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16. THIRD-PARTY MATERIALS

Where third-party fonts, stock images, music, software, photographs, textures, plugins or other licensed materials are used, the Client is responsible for complying with the relevant licence terms unless otherwise agreed.

Third-party licences are not automatically transferred to the Client.

Additional licence fees may be charged where applicable.

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17. PORTFOLIO & SELF-PROMOTION

Unless the Client has expressly requested confidentiality in writing before the assignment begins, Dr. TiqueStar may display completed Work for:

– portfolio purposes;
– website and social media;
– awards and competitions;
– exhibitions;
– publications;
– promotional material;
– presentations; and
– professional self-promotion.

Where a project is confidential or subject to a launch date, Dr. TiqueStar will respect agreed confidentiality and publication restrictions.

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18. MORAL RIGHTS & ATTRIBUTION

To the extent permitted by law, Dr. TiqueStar retains the right to be identified as the creator of the Work.

The Client may not intentionally present the Work as being created by another person or entity.

Any waiver or limitation of moral rights must be expressly agreed in writing and applies only to the extent permitted by applicable law.

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19. PHYSICAL ARTWORK & ORIGINALS

Where physical artwork, prototypes, objects, prints, patches or other tangible items are supplied, ownership of the physical object is separate from copyright and other intellectual property rights.

Purchase of a physical object does not automatically grant reproduction, commercialisation or other intellectual property rights.

Unless expressly agreed otherwise, Dr. TiqueStar retains all intellectual property rights in the design embodied in the physical object.

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20. LIMITED EDITIONS & COLLECTIBLES

For limited-edition products, patches, collectibles and similar products, the stated edition size applies only to the specific edition identified by Dr. TiqueStar.

Dr. TiqueStar may retain proofs, artist’s proofs, samples, prototypes or archival examples outside the stated edition unless otherwise agreed.

Minor differences in handmade or individually produced items do not constitute defects where such differences are inherent to the production process.

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21. PRODUCTION & MANUFACTURING

Where Dr. TiqueStar is responsible for creative design but production is performed by a third party, Dr. TiqueStar is not responsible for manufacturing defects, colour variations, material differences, shipping delays or other failures outside Dr. TiqueStar’s reasonable control.

Production specifications and proofs must be approved by the Client where applicable.

Once the Client has approved production, the Client accepts responsibility for the approved specifications.

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22. CONFIDENTIALITY

Each party will treat genuinely confidential information received from the other party as confidential and will not disclose it unnecessarily to third parties.

Confidentiality does not apply to information that:

– is publicly available;
– was already known;
– becomes public without breach of this agreement;
– is independently developed; or
– must be disclosed by law.

Confidentiality obligations do not prevent Dr. TiqueStar from using general knowledge, skills, techniques and experience gained during an assignment.

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23. CLIENT APPROVAL & RESPONSIBILITY

The Client is responsible for checking spelling, names, dates, technical specifications, legal statements and other factual information before approving final artwork.

Once the Client has approved final artwork, Dr. TiqueStar is not responsible for errors that were reasonably visible and could have been identified during the approval process.

Additional correction or production costs resulting from Client-approved errors may be charged separately.

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24. WARRANTIES

Dr. TiqueStar warrants that the Work will be created with reasonable professional care.

Except where required by law, Dr. TiqueStar does not warrant that the Work will achieve a particular commercial, financial, marketing or reputational result.

Creative opinions and aesthetic decisions remain inherently subjective and are not guaranteed to produce a particular response from the Client’s audience.

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25. LIABILITY

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Dr. TiqueStar’s liability arising from an assignment is limited to the amount actually paid by the Client for that specific assignment.

Dr. TiqueStar will not be liable for indirect or consequential loss, including loss of profit, loss of revenue, loss of business opportunities, loss of goodwill, loss of data or reputational damage, except where such exclusion is not permitted by law.

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited.

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26. INDEMNIFICATION

The Client agrees to indemnify and hold Dr. TiqueStar harmless against third-party claims arising from:

– materials supplied by the Client;
– instructions given by the Client;
– unauthorised use of the Work;
– use of the Work outside the agreed Usage Rights;
– infringement caused by Client-supplied material; or
– modifications made to the Work by the Client or a third party.

This does not apply to claims caused by Dr. TiqueStar’s own intentional misconduct or legally established liability.

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27. FORCE MAJEURE

Dr. TiqueStar shall not be liable for failure or delay caused by circumstances beyond reasonable control, including illness, accident, technical failure, fire, flood, extreme weather, war, government measures, strikes, supply-chain disruption, internet or infrastructure failure, or failure of third-party suppliers.

Where reasonably possible, Dr. TiqueStar will inform the Client and propose a revised schedule.

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28. TERMINATION

Dr. TiqueStar may terminate or suspend an assignment where the Client:

– fails to make required payments;
– repeatedly fails to provide required information or approvals;
– materially changes the agreed scope without agreement on additional fees;
– behaves abusively or unreasonably;
– requests unlawful or infringing work; or
– otherwise materially breaches the agreement.

Termination does not affect payment obligations already incurred or intellectual property rights already retained by Dr. TiqueStar.

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29. NO EMPLOYMENT OR AGENCY

Dr. TiqueStar acts as an independent contractor.

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions creates an employment relationship, partnership, joint venture or agency relationship between the parties.

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30. INTERNATIONAL CLIENTS

Where the Client is located outside the Netherlands, the Client remains responsible for any applicable import duties, taxes, customs charges, local registration requirements or other costs associated with physical products or services supplied internationally, unless otherwise agreed.

Unless expressly agreed otherwise, quotations do not include such charges.

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31. GOVERNING LAW

These Terms & Conditions and agreements between Dr. TiqueStar and the Client are governed by the laws of the Netherlands.

The parties will first attempt to resolve disputes through good-faith consultation.

If a dispute cannot be resolved amicably, it shall be submitted to the competent court in the Netherlands, subject to mandatory applicable law regarding jurisdiction.

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32. SEVERABILITY

If any provision of these Terms & Conditions is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force.

The invalid provision shall, where legally possible, be replaced by a valid provision that most closely reflects the original commercial intention.

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33. ENTIRE AGREEMENT

The accepted quotation or written agreement together with these Terms & Conditions constitutes the agreement between Dr. TiqueStar and the Client concerning the relevant assignment.

Any amendment or exception must be agreed in writing.

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34.DR. TIQUESTAR — LICENSING STRUCTURE

Creative work is priced according to both the work involved in creating it and the rights required to use it.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing, copyright remains with Dr. TiqueStar and the Client receives only the Usage Rights specified in the quotation or licence agreement.

The following licensing categories provide a framework for determining the appropriate level of usage.

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1. PERSONAL LICENCE

For personal, non-commercial use.

A Personal Licence is intended for private individuals using the Work for personal purposes only.

Typical uses include:

– Personal website or social media
– Personal portfolio
– Private printing
– Personal gifts
– Non-commercial creative projects

Not permitted:

– Commercial advertising
– Sale of products featuring the Work
– Merchandise
– Paid campaigns
– Use by a company or organisation for commercial purposes
– Sublicensing or resale

Territory: Worldwide
Duration: Typically perpetual for the agreed personal use
Exclusivity: Non-exclusive

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2. COMMERCIAL LICENCE

For normal business and brand use.

A Commercial Licence is intended for businesses using the Work as part of their ordinary commercial activities.

Typical uses include:

– Company website
– Social media
– Corporate communications
– Presentations
– Editorial content
– Packaging
– Advertising within the agreed scope
– Promotional material

The licence applies only to the media, territory and duration specified in the quotation.

Territory: As agreed
Duration: As agreed
Exclusivity: Normally non-exclusive

Commercial reproduction, merchandise, sublicensing and major expansion of the original use are not included unless expressly stated.

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3. CAMPAIGN LICENCE

For advertising campaigns, launches and promotional campaigns.

A Campaign Licence is intended for a defined marketing or communication campaign.

Typical uses include:

– Advertising campaigns
– Product launches
– Social campaigns
– Outdoor advertising
– Digital advertising
– Film and video
– Events
– Promotional activations
– PR and campaign materials

The licence is normally defined by:

Campaign: Specific campaign
Territory: Specific geographic market
Media: Agreed media/channels
Duration: Defined campaign period

Additional territories, media, campaign extensions or substantially increased exposure may require an additional licence fee.

A Campaign Licence does not automatically include merchandise rights or ownership of the underlying copyright.

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4. MERCHANDISE LICENCE

For products made for sale or commercial distribution.

A Merchandise Licence is required when the Work is reproduced on physical or digital products that are sold, distributed or otherwise commercially exploited.

Typical uses include:

– Clothing
– Patches
– Posters
– Prints
– Toys
– Collectibles
– Accessories
– Packaging
– Stickers
– Skateboards
– Bags
– Books
– Limited editions
– Other commercial products

The licence should specify, where applicable:

– Product category
– Number of units
– Edition size
– Territory
– Duration
– Retail/distribution channels

Where the number of units is relevant, additional production beyond the agreed quantity requires written approval and may result in an additional licence fee.

Important: Purchase of the original artwork or design does not automatically include merchandise rights.

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5. EXCLUSIVE LICENCE

For clients requiring exclusivity.

An Exclusive Licence grants the Client exclusive Usage Rights within the specifically agreed scope.

Exclusivity must always be defined by:

– Territory
– Media
– Product category
– Industry/category
– Duration

Exclusivity does not automatically mean that copyright is transferred.

Unless otherwise agreed, Dr. TiqueStar retains copyright and may continue to use the underlying creative work outside the agreed exclusive field.

For example, exclusivity may apply to:

«Clothing brands in Europe for two years.»

It does not therefore automatically prevent Dr. TiqueStar from using the underlying work in unrelated industries, territories or media.

Because exclusivity restricts Dr. TiqueStar’s future commercial use of the Work, it is subject to an additional licensing fee.

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6. FULL BUYOUT

Complete transfer of agreed intellectual property rights.

A Full Buyout is the most extensive form of rights acquisition and is only available by explicit written agreement.

A Full Buyout may include the transfer of specified copyright and/or other intellectual property rights in the Final Work.

The agreement must specifically identify what is being transferred.

Unless expressly included, a Full Buyout does not automatically include:

– Dr. TiqueStar’s pre-existing intellectual property;
– existing characters;
– existing artwork;
– unused concepts;
– rejected concepts;
– sketches;
– working files;
– underlying techniques;
– general creative know-how;
– third-party intellectual property; or
– unrelated future work.

A Full Buyout becomes effective only after full payment has been received.

Because a Full Buyout removes or substantially limits Dr. TiqueStar’s future ability to commercially exploit the Work, it is priced substantially higher than a standard licence.

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LICENCE PRINCIPLES

Unless a Full Buyout or copyright transfer is expressly agreed in writing:

The Client purchases permission to use the Work — not ownership of the Work.

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More usage = higher licence value

Licence fees may increase depending on:

– Audience size
– Commercial value
– Territory
– Duration
– Number of products
– Production volume
– Number of media
– Advertising exposure
– Exclusivity
– Brand prominence
– Campaign scale
– Distribution
– Revenue potential

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Licence extensions

A licence may be extended before or after its expiry.

Extension fees may be based on the original licence fee, the new scope of use and the commercial value of the continued usage.

Continued use beyond the agreed licence period without written renewal may constitute unauthorised use.

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Additional usage

If the Client wishes to use the Work outside the agreed licence, the Client must request additional Usage Rights before such use begins.

Additional Usage Rights will be quoted separately.

Examples include:

– New territories
– New media
– Additional products
– Increased production quantities
– Additional campaigns
– Longer usage periods
– Merchandise
– Paid advertising
– Exclusive use

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Agency & third-party use

A Client may not automatically transfer or sublicense Usage Rights to an agency, subsidiary, distributor, manufacturer, publisher or other third party.

Where third-party use is required, this must be specified in the quotation or licence agreement.

A third party using the Work for the Client’s benefit does not automatically acquire independent rights to the Work.

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AI & derivative use

Unless expressly agreed otherwise, licensed use does not include:

– training AI models;
– creating datasets;
– generating derivative AI assets from the Work;
– using the Work as an AI reference for commercial generation;
– substantially recreating the Work through automated systems.

Such use requires separate written permission.

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LICENCE SUMMARY

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IMPORTANT

The licence category alone does not determine the final price.

The applicable Usage Rights, territory, duration, media, production volume, exclusivity and commercial scope will be specified in the individual quotation or licence agreement.

No Usage Rights beyond those expressly granted in writing shall be implied.

35. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS

Dr. TiqueStar may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time.

The version applicable to an assignment is the version made available to the Client at the time the agreement is entered into.

Changes made after an agreement has been formed do not retroactively alter that agreement unless expressly agreed by both parties.

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CONTACT

Dr. TiqueStar
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.TiqueStar.com