Intellectual Property & Copyright Policy

1. Ownership of Client-Supplied Artwork

The Client retains all ownership rights, titles, and interests in any trademarks, logos, or original artwork submitted to The Houston Patch Co. for manufacturing.

By submitting artwork to our Houston shop, the Client grants The Houston Patch Co. a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, and modify the artwork solely for the purpose of manufacturing the physical goods ordered. We do not claim ownership of your brand identity. However, the Client warrants that they possess the legal right to reproduce the submitted designs and assumes all liability for any third-party claims of infringement.

2. The Proprietary Nature of Digitizing Assets (DST & PXF Files)

A common misconception in the “cheap” patch industry is that a “digitizing fee” constitutes the purchase of a digital file. At The Houston Patch Co., we differentiate between Artwork and Manufacturing Blueprints.

The Artwork: The vector or raster file you provide (AI, PDF, PNG). This belongs to you.

The Digitizing File: The technical machine code (DST, PXF, EMB) created by our local Houston operators.

The process of digitizing is a manual engineering feat where we calculate stitch angles, pull compensation, and underlay density specifically for our Tajima multi-head equipment. These files remain the exclusive intellectual property of The Houston Patch Co. They are proprietary manufacturing instructions, not a retail product. We maintain these files in our secure Houston database to ensure “Zero-Setup” consistency for your future re-orders.

3. DMCA Compliance & Takedown Procedures

In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), The Houston Patch Co. has implemented procedures for reporting alleged copyright infringement on our website, custompatcheshouston.com.

If you believe that any content on our site—including gallery images of previously manufactured patches—infringes upon your copyright, please submit a formal “Takedown Notice” to our designated agent at support@custompatcheshouston.com. Your notice must include:

• A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner.
• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
• Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing (URL).
• Your contact information (Address, phone, and email).
• A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material is not authorized.
• A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate.

4. Trademark Indemnification

The Houston Patch Co. manufactures goods based strictly on Client instructions. We do not proactively research the trademark status of every logo submitted to our shop floor.

The Client agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Houston Patch Co. and its officers (including Travis Hayes and Elena Garza) from any and all claims, damages, or legal expenses arising from the unauthorized use of trademarks or copyrighted material submitted by the Client. We reserve the right to refuse any order that we believe, in our sole discretion, violates the intellectual property rights of a third party (e.g., professional sports logos, restricted government seals, or luxury brand trademarks).

5. Manufacturing “Work-Product” and Marketing

As a local Houston manufacturer, we take pride in our craftsmanship. Unless a Client explicitly requests a “Non-Disclosure Agreement” (NDA) or “Private Production” status in writing at the time of the quote, The Houston Patch Co. reserves the right to:

• Photograph the finished physical patches manufactured in our shop.
• Display these photographs in our online gallery or on social media as examples of our industrial capabilities.
• Use these images to demonstrate specific techniques, such as Nomex® FR stitching or 3D PVC micro-injection.

We will never sell your specific custom patches to a third party. Your custom mold or digitizing file is locked to your account.

6. Protection of Proprietary Manufacturing Techniques

The “Houston Patch Co. Method”—including our specific thread tensioning protocols for 40-weight Madeira thread and our multi-layer substrate bonding techniques—constitutes a Trade Secret.

Any attempt by a competitor or third party to reverse-engineer our physical patches, or to solicit our proprietary PXF digitizing paths, will be met with legal action to the fullest extent of Texas law. We protect our “Shop Floor Secrets” to ensure that our clients receive a product that cannot be replicated by low-quality “internet brokers.”

7. Fair Use and Educational Content

Our website may occasionally feature educational content regarding the history of patches (e.g., military heraldry or NASA mission patches). Such content is provided for informational purposes under the “Fair Use” doctrine of U.S. Copyright Law. If you are a rights holder and believe our educational use exceeds the bounds of Fair Use, please contact us immediately.

8. Jurisdiction & Harris County Governance

Any disputes regarding intellectual property, copyright ownership, or manufacturing files shall be governed by the laws of the State of Texas. All parties agree that the exclusive venue for any legal proceedings shall be the state or federal courts located in Harris County, Houston, Texas.

9. Contact Our IP Compliance Officer

For questions regarding the ownership of your files, or to report a copyright concern, please contact our Houston office: