Artificial intelligence disclaimer

 AI, COPYRIGHT & WORK-IN-PROGRESS MATERIALS

By commissioning Under Cover Designs, the client acknowledges and agrees to respect these restrictions and to not use, submit, reproduce, modify, trace, train, or otherwise process our work through generative AI or similar automated systems without our express written permission.

STATEMENT:

Under Cover Designs understands that, given the current state of the publishing industry and the increasing prevalence of AI-generated content, tracing, automated image manipulation, bots, and other forms of unauthorized reproduction, authors may wish to request sketches, drafts, work-in-progress materials, timelapses, or other evidence of a designer’s creative process, particularly when working with a designer for the first time.

However, Under Cover Designs no longer provides sketches, preliminary drafts, work-in-progress files, process videos, timelapses, source files, or similar behind-the-scenes materials as part of our services.

This policy has been implemented as a direct result of repeated instances in which our original work, files, artwork, and characters have been submitted to AI-generation and image-manipulation platforms without our permission. In some cases, our work has subsequently been used to generate modified versions of designs, including changes to character poses, clothing, compositions, and other visual elements. We have also encountered situations where work created by Under Cover Designs was used as the basis for continuing a series or developing additional artwork without commissioning the original designer.

This was not an isolated occurrence and is not a policy we have adopted lightly.

Under Cover Designs has been creating and designing book covers since 2016, long before the current widespread use of generative AI. Our designs are developed through human creative research, design, illustration, editing, experimentation, and years of accumulated skill and experience. Our work is created by humans (one human since there’s only one person behind Under Cover Designs since 2016) without the use of generative AI in the creative process.

All original artwork, illustrations, character designs, sketches, concepts, compositions, and other creative materials produced by Under Cover Designs remain the intellectual property and under the sole copyright of Under Cover Designs unless otherwise expressly agreed in writing and appropriate license fees (license buyout) paid to designer (full lifetime copyright transfer and complete source files included). The purchase of a finished design does not grant the client ownership of our underlying creative process, source materials, unused concepts, sketches, or other intellectual property.

PROHIBITED USE OF OUR WORK WITH AI

Clients are expressly prohibited from uploading, submitting, feeding, tracing, training, or otherwise using any Under Cover Designs artwork, including but not limited to finished covers, illustrations, characters, sketches, mockups, graphics, or other original materials, as input for:

  • Generative AI or image-generation systems;

  • AI-assisted image editing or manipulation;

  • AI character generators;

  • AI training or model-development systems;

  • Automated tracing or recreation tools;

  • AI-generated marketing materials, teasers, reels, advertisements, or promotional graphics; or

  • Any other technology or service intended to generate, alter, reproduce, or recreate derivative artwork from our work.

This prohibition applies regardless of whether the resulting material is intended for commercial or personal use.

For example, clients may not submit an Under Cover Designs illustration to an AI platform and request that the system change the character's pose, clothing, facial features, hairstyle, setting, composition, or other elements, nor may our artwork be used as a visual reference for generating replacement or additional artwork through such systems.

LIMITATION ON ILLUSTRATION SERVICES

Because illustrated covers and original character artwork involve substantially more original intellectual property and creative development, Under Cover Designs may limit illustrated-cover and character-design services to existing clients with an established working relationship with us and/or clients referred by authors or industry professionals we know and trust.

This is a business and intellectual-property protection measure and should not be interpreted as a reflection of the client’s character or intentions.

We recognize that the absence of sketches, timelapses, or work-in-progress materials may influence an author’s decision when selecting a designer. We respect that decision. However, protecting our intellectual property, creative process, and original work is essential to the continued operation of Under Cover Designs.

By commissioning Under Cover Designs, the client acknowledges and agrees to respect these restrictions and to not use, submit, reproduce, modify, trace, train, or otherwise process our work through generative AI or similar automated systems without our express written permission.

Violation of this policy may result in termination of current or future services and may lead to further and legal action appropriate to protect Under Cover Designs' intellectual property rights.