Copyrights and Content Permission

Please only add images to your website that you are either own, or that you have licensed or that are available in the public domain under the creative commons agreement.

If you search Google images, you will want to click on “Tools” and then “Usage Rights” dropdown filter, and select “Creative Commons”.

Better alternatives are stock photography websites where everything listed is done so under the creative commons or equivalent licensing with no legal requirements – here are a few that operate this way at the time of this page being created:

If you need images and do not find anything from the sources mentioned above, you may try 123rf.com, or another paid stock photography website where you can purchase images.

Failure to comply by copyright law can lead to copyright infringement lawsuits, and we want you to feel educated on legal use of content.

Never copy and paste content from another website without linking back to the original source and notating the author.  Best practice is to first get permission if possible.

Client takes full responsibility for all content on the site, including images graphics, text.  Stellar Web Studios is not liable for any trademark or copyright disputes related to any content on the site, or any other liability related to content.  Stellar Web Studios reserve the right to use or reuse the code developed for the project in any future or existing project.  No other project by Stellar Web Studios will appear overtly similar to the design developed for the client, this is in regards to the details of the design (meaning the “skin”, often including the css and graphics), not the structural organization of the websites’ pages or content.

Custom Designed Websites

Client owns the content as well as the “website”, which refers to the resulting compiled entity of the code, design and content.  Client has the right to move their website to any hosting solution they choose, or take the website into their own hands, continuing to change and modify it to no limit.  

School District Platform / Build it Together

Websites using the School District Platform or Build it Together package are the Intellectual Property of Stellar Web Studios.  

All rights, title and interest in and to the Stellar Web Studios Services, including any and all copyrightable materials or any other content thereof which is or may be subject to any intellectual property rights under any applicable law (including any artwork, graphics, images, website templates and widgets, source and object code, computer code (including html), applications, designs, animations, interfaces, documentation, derivatives and versions thereof, the “look and feel” of the Stellar Web Studios Services, methods, products, algorithms, data, interactive features and objects, inventions, trade secrets, logos, domains, customized URLs, trademarks, service marks, trade names and other proprietary identifiers, whether or not registered and/or capable of being registered (collectively, “Intellectual Property”), and any derivations thereof, are owned by and/or licensed to Stellar Web Studios.

Subject to your full compliance with the Stellar Web Studios Terms, Stellar Web Studios hereby grants you, upon contract acceptance, and for as long as your service agreement remains in effect, a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, limited license to use the Stellar Web Studios Services and Licensed Content, for the purpose of generating and displaying your website to end users / visitors.

The Stellar Web Studios Terms do not convey any right or interest in or to Stellar Web Studios’ Intellectual Property (or any part thereof), except only for the limited license expressly granted above. Nothing in the Stellar Web Studios Terms constitutes an assignment or waiver of Stellar Web Studios’ Intellectual Property rights under any law.

Any content produced by the client including images, literary work, text, graphics, videos and photographs remain the exclusive property of the client. 

Related Products and Services

The following items are not included as part of a web design and development agreement from Stellar Web Studios, LLC.

  • Domain Name – We sell domains through our portal AMillionDomains – Customers are not required to purchase their domain name through us.
  • Hosting – We have various options available to our clients depending on their needs.
  • Website Maintenance & Security – Described below, this is monthly service retainer for continued support after a design and development contract is fully completed, customers are not required to purchase this.

Payments & Milestones

Most projects occur in 3 payments, each phase only begins once client is satisfied with previous phases’ work, and payment is received for the next phase.

  • Project Start – 40% deposit – Takes us through the work of Wireframes and Photoshop Design
  • Phase 2 – Development – 30% payment required to begin
  • Phase 3 – Final Development Touch-up Work, Testing & Training – Final 30% payment required to begin – After this payment is processed we grant customers access to their new site while it is in development so they can contribute content as needed.   Once all content is on the website, and client is satisfied that the website work is essentially complete, we run through the 60-point Launch Checklist and make the website Live.

Communication

It is the responsibility of the client to communicate with Stellar Web Studios throughout the project, if the client for any reason does not respond to communications including but not limited to phone calls or emails for a period of over two weeks, Stellar Web Studios may bill or charge the client for any uncompensated time spent working on the client’s project, and reserves the right to deliver the project as is, and potentially to cancel the contract.

Shared Responsibility for a Successful Launch

In order to reach the completion date estimate, it is expected that the client will provide any requested content within 5 business days, or requested approval sign-offs within 2 business days.  Client also understands that all required content on the site, is their responsibility to produce and deliver to Stellar Web Studios during the course of development.

Estimated completion dates for projects or milestones of a project are strictly estimates, and are not contractual obligations of Stellar Web Studios.  In the event that an “act of god” or other emergency should occur that affects Stellar Web Studios ability to meet estimated completion dates, Stellar Web Studios reserves the right to reschedule project dates as seen feasable.

Website / Maintenance and Continued Support

After a website is launched, additional changes can be requested and implemented for up to 30 days, up to 3 hours of work. After the 30 days grace period or beyond 3 hours work in that period any requested changes will be charged the hourly rate billed at a 1 hour minimum.  This includes any necessary work due to 3rd party or client changes to website that cause any kind of issue.

Client has the option to sign up for monthly maintenance and support subscription at any time – this includes website change requests of up to an hour each month, in additional to automatic analytics reports, quarterly meetings to review the website, quarterly “core” updates for plugins and WordPress or CMS version in addition to quarterly full site backups in case of emergency.

Rights of Use

After the website is officially launched, Stellar Web Studios reserve the right to use the design as a portfolio piece on their website, as well as any other print, digital or multimedia marketing or advertising materials.  Stellar Web Studios also requests permission to print a link to their website in the footer of the final website, in 10pt Arial that will read “Website by StellarWebStudios.com”, this is not required.

Refunds Policy

Stellar Web Studios does not offer refunds of received payments, but we are fully bound to the work promised.  We go to great lengths to make sure our customers are satisfied, and serve all with strictly professional interests.

Hosting Contracts and Renewals

Hosting payments are due within fifteen days of notification, which may or may not exactly match the start date of the next hosting cycle.  Notifications are provided via customer email address on file.   Hosting payments are due in advance for each 1 year period.   Due to a low-profit margin on hosting, we are not able to offer pro-rated refunds due a mid-term cancellation request.

If a payment is not received by the due date declared in the initial notification email, additional email notices will be sent.  If a payment for a hosting invoice is not received within 14 days of the due date, the hosting service will auto-suspend assuming the website is no longer needed.  This means the website to be “down”, and an email notification will be sent out stating the service has been suspended.   A deactivated website will be available for instant reactivation upon payment for at least three months.  If no contact or agreement has been made within the three months of a site being deactivated, the site may be removed from the hosting server.

Hosting and Maintenance Agreements are renewed automatically unless, and until, a declaration of cancellation is sent by the customer to our email or via the contact form on our website.