Answered

Rejection reasons

Forum|Forum|1 day ago
April 28, 2026
4 replies
62 views

Hello,
I designed images of national flags on a background of geometric patterns like fabric texture, but I was surprised to find that the images were rejected on the grounds of “Intellectual Property Refusal” and “Non-compliant Image.”

Please explain this to me and give me some advice.

Correct answer Nancy OShea

National flags are often protected from unauthorized commercial use. Many countries have specific laws regulating how their flag or emblem is used. Using flags in trademarks or on products is strictly restricted in many jurisdictions, including the US, EU, and India.

Besides, Stock already has all the Regional Flags they need.

https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=national+flag 5.7 million results

https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=country+flag 6.1 million results

https://stock.adobe.com/search?k=state+flag 6.7 million results

See Illustrative Editorial Content below:

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

Even if yours was accepted as Illustrative Editorial content, there’s too much competing content for yours to be seen much less purchased.

Hope that helps.

daniellei4510

Community Expert

Flags are weird when it comes to commercial use. Even the U.S. flag is not supposed to be used for commercial purposes, but we see it all the time. I guess if a moderator wants to follow the letter of the law as it MIGHT apply to any and all flags, that moderator might reject the asset on IP grounds.

“The United States flag should not be used for advertising purposes, embroidered on disposable items (like cushions, napkins, or boxes), or printed on items intended for discard. While widely used in marketing, such usage technically violates federal guidelines, though these guidelines are voluntary and generally lack penalties, with courts often viewing enforcement as a free speech issue.”

Adobe Community Expert | If you can't fix it, hide it; if you can't hide it, delete it.

A

aboubaker_7830Author

@daniellei4510

This is an example

Nancy OShea

Correct answer