COPYRIGHT & INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Page Updated: 5 July 2026

Operated by Steven Patrick Sim t/a The Tartan Artisan®

Governing Law: Scotland | Framework: UK Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988 (CDPA)

 

 

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1. Purpose of This Policy

This policy explains how copyright, design rights, and intellectual property (IP) are owned, protected, and permitted for use across all creative works produced by The Tartan Artisan® — including artwork, tartan designs, fine-art prints, photographs, written materials, and branded products.

It protects both the creative integrity of Steven Patrick Sim as the author and designer, and the rights of customers and collaborators engaging with his work.

This policy also clarifies the position for Declaration of Arbroath artworks, including the Declaration 3D Fine Art Facsimiles and Declaration Gold Metallic Print Editions, where original creative work by Steven Patrick Sim sits alongside source material, permissions, historical manuscript imagery, and third-party or Crown copyright material.

 

 

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2. Copyright Ownership

Unless stated otherwise, all creative works displayed on this website and associated platforms — including but not limited to:

• Visual artworks, tartan designs, textile patterns, and photography

• Product descriptions, narratives, and written copy

• Logo designs, brand marks, and trade dress

• Digital assets, product images, and layout elements

• Original artistic interpretation, product presentation, photography, design layout, explanatory text, and supporting materials for Declaration of Arbroath artworks, subject to any separate rights held by third parties or public bodies in underlying source material

are the copyrighted property of Steven Patrick Sim t/a The Tartan Artisan® and are protected under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 (UK) and relevant international treaties (Berne Convention, WIPO).

All rights are reserved worldwide.

 

 

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3. Trademarks & Brand Identity

• “The Tartan Artisan®” is a registered trademark (UK) and may not be used without prior written consent.

• Associated brand identifiers — including “TARTAN250”, “TARTAN.LOVE”, and specific tartan collection names (e.g. Star-Spangled Banner®, The Angels’ Share®, Earthrise Tartan®, North Sea Oil®, and The Declaration 1320®) — are protected under passing-off and goodwill principles in Scots law.

• Any unauthorised use of these names, imagery, or marks for commercial gain is strictly prohibited.

 

 

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4. Design Rights

Original tartan designs created by Steven Patrick Sim are recorded in the Scottish Register of Tartans, which provides a public record of authorship and registration date.

Design rights subsist automatically from the moment of creation, including rights in:

• Colour palette and sett structure

• Conceptual narrative and symbolic meaning

• Associated textile artworks, graphics, and digital renderings

Fabric mills, partners, or third parties weaving or reproducing these designs do so under express licence only.

 

 

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5. Use of Images & Content

Personal Use

You may view, share, or link to content from this website for personal, non-commercial purposes, provided proper credit is given to The Tartan Artisan®.

Editorial or Press Use

Press outlets, museums, and event organisers may reproduce low-resolution imagery for editorial coverage with credit lines such as:

Image © Steven Patrick Sim / The Tartan Artisan®

High-resolution images for publication or broadcast require prior written permission.

Commercial or Derivative Use

No person or organisation may copy, reproduce, sell, distribute, adapt, or make derivative works from any content, design, or artwork belonging to The Tartan Artisan® without explicit licence.

For licensing or collaboration enquiries, contact enquiries@thetartanartisan.com.

 

 

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6. Collaborative & Partner Works

Certain products and imagery may involve collaboration with trusted partners:

• theprintspace – fine-art printing and framing of limited editions.

• Contrado Imaging Ltd – print-on-demand textiles and accessories.

• Glenisla Kilts – production of custom Highland wear.

• Aizle Framing, Balfron – specialist framing, handling, collection, and local/regional delivery support for selected framed artworks.

All partners operate under agreements that respect and preserve the IP rights of The Tartan Artisan®.
Partners may only reproduce artworks for fulfilment of authorised orders.

 

 

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7. Customer Rights

When you purchase a product or artwork, you acquire ownership of the physical item — not the copyright to reproduce or distribute the design.
Digital downloads, images, and print files remain protected and licensed only for personal display or use as described.

Commissioned works and bespoke tartans may include specific licensing clauses, detailed within individual contracts.

 

 

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8. Third-Party Content, Source Material & Historical References

Some materials (e.g. photography, logos, fonts, archive references, museum references, historical documents, engravings, illustrations, public-body material, or other third-party source material) may appear under licence, permission, fair dealing, public-domain status, or other lawful basis, depending on the specific item and context.
Such underlying content remains the property of its respective owner, creator, custodian, archive, museum, public body, or rights holder where applicable and may not be reused without any permission required from that party.

Declaration of Arbroath Source Material

The surviving copy of the Declaration of Arbroath is held by the National Records of Scotland. Images of the Declaration of Arbroath, including the manuscript, seals, and excerpts, are Crown copyright, National Records of Scotland, SP13/7, unless otherwise stated.

Declaration of Arbroath artworks created by Steven Patrick Sim / The Tartan Artisan® are produced with respect for that underlying source material and, where applicable, with permission kindly granted by the National Records of Scotland in 2016. No endorsement by the National Records of Scotland, the Scottish Government, or any public body is implied unless expressly stated.

Historic Engravings, Seal Research & Interpretive Reference Material

The Declaration of Arbroath artworks may also draw upon historical research, visual study, and interpretive reference material, including historic engravings, archive records, museum or heritage displays, published historical references, and photographs or reference images lawfully created or used for research and artistic development.

This may include reference to the historic William Home Lizars engraving of the Declaration of Arbroath, where relevant to seal research, missing or damaged details, visual reconstruction, or explanation of the creative process. No ownership is claimed by The Tartan Artisan® in any underlying historic engraving, archive record, museum object, public-body material, or third-party source itself. Any rights, credits, permissions, or restrictions in such underlying material remain with the relevant owner, creator, custodian, archive, museum, public body, or rights holder where applicable.

Photographs, drawings, digital modelling, written interpretation, product presentation, and artistic reconstructions created by Steven Patrick Sim remain protected works of The Tartan Artisan®, but only in the new creative work, photography, interpretation, design, presentation, and expression created by him. Such protection does not remove or override any rights belonging to owners or custodians of underlying source material.

The Tartan Artisan® Creative Work

The physical presentation, creative interpretation, reconstructed 3D facsimile structure, interpretive seal work, edition design, photography, written presentation, explanatory material, supporting materials, and product-specific arrangement created by Steven Patrick Sim remain protected works of The Tartan Artisan®, subject to the underlying rights and acknowledgements noted above.

 

 

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9. Infringement & Enforcement

We actively monitor the unauthorised use of our designs and brand materials.
If you believe your work has been used on our platforms without permission, or if you wish to report potential infringement of The Tartan Artisan® IP, please contact enquiries@thetartanartisan.com with details and supporting evidence.

We reserve the right to take legal action, including cease-and-desist orders and damages claims, for any breach of intellectual property rights.

 

 

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10. Takedown Requests

If you are a copyright holder and believe any content displayed on this site infringes your rights, please send a written notice to:

Legal Department
The Tartan Artisan® Studio, Arbroath, Angus, Scotland
✉ enquiries@thetartanartisan.com

 

Include:

1. Your name and contact details

2. Description and proof of the copyrighted work

3. URL or location of the alleged infringement

4. A statement confirming good-faith belief that use is unauthorised

We will respond within 7 business days and, where appropriate, remove or replace the content pending investigation.

 

 

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11. Moral Rights

As author and designer, Steven Patrick Sim asserts his moral rights under Part I, Chapter IV of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the creator of all original works displayed herein.
These rights remain in force in perpetuity and may not be waived or assigned.

 

 

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12. Limitations of Liability

While we strive to maintain accuracy, The Tartan Artisan® assumes no liability for loss arising from reliance on published material or unauthorised third-party use of our designs.
Use of any material from this site is at your own risk.

 

 

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13. Governing Law

All copyright and IP matters are governed by Scots law, with exclusive jurisdiction of the Scottish courts.

 

 

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14. Updates to This Policy

We may revise this policy periodically to reflect changes in law, branding, or partnerships.
The most current version will always appear on this page, dated at the top.

 

 

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15. Contact

Steven Patrick Sim
The Tartan Artisan® Studio, Arbroath, Scotland
✉ enquiries@thetartanartisan.com

 

 

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16. Registered Rights Portfolio (Selected Works, 2025 Edition)

This summary highlights public registrations relevant to the current catalogue. It is not exhaustive.

 

 

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For licensing or permitted use queries, please email:
enquiries@thetartanartisan.com

 

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End of Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy

(This policy forms part of The Tartan Artisan® Legal Framework and applies across all domains including TARTAN250 and Tartan.LOVE.)