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Inspiring
December 20, 2025
Question

Intellectual property (IP) issues

  • December 20, 2025
  • 3 replies
  • 159 views

Hello,
For example, when you search for "phone," you get many results. Many of these results have designs that are almost identical to trademarks. Since these are listed and published in search results, shouldn't this be considered a trademark infringement and therefore a copyright infringement?

 

 

https://stock.adobe.com/search?filters%5Bcontent_type%3Aphoto%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Aillustration%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Azip_vector%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Avideo%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Atemplate%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3A3d%5D=1&filters%5Bglobally_safe_collection%5D=1&filters%5Bcontent_type%3Aimage%5D=1&k=phone&order=nb_downloads&limit=100&search_page=1&search_type=usertyped&acp=&load_type=page&get_facets=0

3 replies

Abambo
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 21, 2025

NO, IP violation in this sense is only due to the very aggressive Apple stragegy to attack annything the lookls like their design. It's a shame, but somewhere, a tribunal decided that the round button in the middle of the lower border of a smartphone is Apple specific. So you can use any button form, but don't put a rund button in the middle. That's it, basically.

ABAMBO | Hard- and Software Engineer | Photographer
Nancy OShea
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 21, 2025

Branded items can be submitted as Illustrative Editorial content. But the assets cannot be used for commercial purposes. 

It's limited to use in journalism -- blogs, newsworthy stories or historical interest about the named brand. See requirements below.

https://helpx.adobe.com/stock/contributor/help/illustrative-editorial-content.html

 

The link you posted contains no branded content. Just generic equipment of various sizes and models.

870967i14DCB24922BC9B8A.png

 

Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
daniellei4510
Community Expert
Community Expert
December 20, 2025

If you're referring what is often referred to as the Apple "notch," there are hundreds of cell phone makers, including Android, that have incorporated this design into their products. So there's really no way one could tell one kind of phone from another. If they are clearly the design of a particular company, they might have been uploaded as Illustrative Editorial. And I suppose there is also the possibility that an image slips by the moderator's notice that should have been flagged for IP. But that's the contributor's problem should they ever get called out.

Adobe Community Expert | If you aren't submitting your assets in sRGB, you probably didn't read the rules.