Terms of Service

1. Introduction

PatternDesigners ("PatternDesigners," "we," "us," or "our") is operated by James Brown, trading as PatternDesigners, a UK sole trader. PatternDesigners operates a directory and job board for the surface pattern and textile design industry, including designer profiles, company profiles, pattern-type taxonomy pages, design job listings, and related tools such as the AI Prompt Library.

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of patterndesigners.com and the services made available through it (together, the "Service"). By using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

If you use the Service on behalf of a company, studio, or other organization, you confirm that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms, and "you" refers to both you and that organization.

These Terms work alongside our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, which describe how we handle personal data and tracking technologies. This document does not repeat that detail.

2. Eligibility

To use the Service you must be at least 16 years old and able to form a legally binding contract. If you are acting on behalf of a business, you must have the authority to do so.

3. Accounts

Accounts are created and authenticated through our identity provider, Clerk. We do not store your password — sign-in credentials are managed by Clerk under its own security practices. Your PatternDesigners account record links your Clerk identity to your activity on the Service, such as claimed profiles, likes, orders, and job postings.

You agree to:

• Provide accurate information when creating an account or claiming a profile
• Keep your account credentials secure and not share them with others
• Notify us if you become aware of unauthorized access to your account
• Take responsibility for activity that occurs under your account

We may restrict, suspend, or terminate an account where these Terms are violated, where information provided is false or misleading, or where we reasonably believe an account poses a security, legal, or abuse risk. See Section 19.

4. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use the Service to:

• Violate any applicable law or regulation
• Harass, abuse, defame, or impersonate any person or organization
• Submit fraudulent, misleading, or unauthorized information — including in profile applications, claims, or job postings
• Upload or transmit malicious code, or attempt to disrupt, overload, or interfere with the Service's normal operation
• Attempt to bypass, probe, or circumvent authentication, security, or access controls
• Send spam or unsolicited bulk communications through the Service
• Infringe the intellectual property or other rights of PatternDesigners or any third party

Scraping and automated data collection. PatternDesigners' designer, company, and job directories are a curated, structured dataset that represents substantial editorial and engineering investment. Except as permitted by robots.txt, a written agreement with us, or applicable law, you agree not to:

• Scrape, crawl, or use automated means to extract data from the Service at scale
• Systematically harvest, copy, or reconstruct any substantial part of our directory data, in whole or in part, into another database or product
• Use bots, scripts, or similar automated tools to access the Service in a manner that sends more requests than a human user could reasonably generate
• Bypass rate limiting, CAPTCHA, or other technical measures put in place to prevent automated access
• Use any data obtained from the Service for unauthorized commercial reuse, including resale, republication, or building a competing directory

We may monitor, rate-limit, or block traffic that we reasonably believe violates this section.

5. Designer and Company Profiles

Aggregated / editorial profiles

Many designer and company profiles on PatternDesigners are created by us, not by the individuals or businesses they describe. We compile these profiles from publicly available material and third-party sources, and structure and update them editorially over time.

An unclaimed profile has not been submitted, approved, or verified by the person or company it describes. Its presence on PatternDesigners reflects our own editorial judgment about publicly available information, not an endorsement or confirmation by the subject.

Claimed profiles

"Claiming" a profile means an individual or authorized company representative takes ownership of an existing aggregated profile, gaining the ability to edit it directly.

Our claim process verifies that the email address associated with your authenticated account matches the email address on file for the profile you are claiming. This is an email-matching check, not a full identity verification process — we do not currently verify government-issued identification, employment status, or corporate authority as part of claiming.

If you claim a profile, you agree to:

• Ensure that information you add or edit is accurate and kept up to date
• Have the actual authority to claim and manage that profile (for a company profile, this means authority to represent the company)
• Promptly notify us of any dispute over who should control a profile

Where we become aware of a competing or disputed claim, we may investigate, request additional information, suspend edit access, or reassign ownership at our reasonable discretion, in order to protect the accuracy of the directory and the interests of the party the profile actually represents.

Corrections and updates

If you are not the subject of a profile but believe it contains outdated, incorrect, or misattributed information — including incorrect company relationships or broken links — you can request a correction or removal by contacting us (see Section 15). We handle these requests in good faith and will investigate and correct verified errors within a reasonable time, but we do not guarantee immediate removal, and we retain editorial discretion over what appears in the directory.

6. User-Submitted Content

This section covers content you submit through profile applications, claimed profiles, portfolios, company submissions, general forms, uploaded images, and job postings ("Submitted Content").

You retain ownership of Submitted Content that you own or have rights to.

By submitting content to PatternDesigners, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, resize, reformat, display, distribute, and promote that content as part of operating, maintaining, and marketing the Service — for example, showing your portfolio images on your profile page, or featuring a job listing across the site or on social media. This license does not transfer ownership of your content to us, and it ends for content you remove from the Service, except where retained copies are reasonably necessary for backups, legal compliance, or dispute records.

You are responsible for ensuring you have the necessary rights and permissions for anything you submit, including images, logos, trademarks, portfolio work, written text, and any other third-party material. Do not submit content you do not have the right to share.

7. Intellectual Property

PatternDesigners-owned material. The PatternDesigners name, branding, website design, underlying software, editorial structure, taxonomy system, original written copy, and other platform assets are owned by PatternDesigners or our licensors, and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

Third-party material. Designer artwork, company logos, trademarks, and portfolio imagery remain the property of their respective owners. Inclusion of this material on PatternDesigners does not transfer ownership to us, and does not grant you any rights to reuse it beyond what is permitted by law or the rights holder.

Factual and biographical information. Some directory content — such as a designer's stated location, a company's history, or other factual details — is compiled from publicly available and third-party sources. We do not claim exclusive ownership of such facts, and reuse of them elsewhere is a matter of general law (including any applicable database or compilation rights), not a right we grant or withhold under these Terms.

You may not copy, scrape, or systematically extract the PatternDesigners database or a substantial part of its structure or contents, except as permitted under Section 4.

8. Job Listings and Paid Job Postings

Employer responsibilities

If you post a job listing, you represent that:

• The listing information is truthful and accurate
• Company information provided is accurate and you are authorized to post on its behalf
• Any application details or links provided are valid and lead to a legitimate application process
• The role and listing comply with applicable employment and advertising laws, including anti-discrimination laws
• You will not post unlawful, discriminatory, or misleading listings

Payment

Some job listings are paid products. Payment is processed by our third-party payment processor, Stripe. Payment does not guarantee publication — every submission is subject to editorial review, and we may decline to publish a listing that does not meet our standards or that violates these Terms.

Editorial approval

We retain editorial discretion over whether a paid job submission is published, and we may request changes, decline to publish, or remove a listing at any time in accordance with these Terms.

Rejected paid submissions

Because payment and editorial approval are separate steps, it is possible for a listing to be paid for and then declined during editorial review. If a paid job listing is rejected during editorial review, we will issue a full refund of the amount you paid for that listing.

Cancellation and refunds

Once a listing has been published, employer-requested cancellations are non-refundable, unless a refund is required by applicable law. Nothing in this section affects any mandatory consumer rights that cannot legally be overridden.

Expiry

Job listings run for a limited period. Current prices and listing periods are shown at the point of purchase and may change from time to time; the version presented to you at checkout applies to your listing.

Applications

Applying to a job listed on PatternDesigners may direct you to a third-party website or application system operated by the employer or a third party. PatternDesigners is not the employer, does not control external recruitment systems, and does not currently collect or store application data submitted through those external systems. Review the third party's own terms and privacy practices before applying.

Aggregated job listings

If a job listing was sourced from a third party rather than posted directly by the employer, its underlying details can change without our knowledge, and it may expire, close, or become unavailable at the source. We do not guarantee that any such listing remains available or accurate, and you should verify important details directly with the employer.

9. Affiliate Links

Some links on PatternDesigners are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after following one of these links, we may receive a commission. This does not increase the price you pay unless explicitly stated otherwise at the point of purchase.

Affiliate relationships do not determine editorial inclusion or recommendations — our directory and editorial content reflect our own judgment, independent of any commercial arrangement.

For details on how affiliate link clicks are tracked, see our Privacy Policy.

10. AI Prompt Library and Third-Party AI Services

The AI Prompt Library is a collection of staff-written prompts designed to help you use third-party AI tools (such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini) to research or explore the PatternDesigners directory. Selecting a prompt may open a third-party AI service in your browser or copy prompt text for you to use there yourself.

PatternDesigners does not operate its own AI content-generation service, and using the AI Prompt Library does not send your data to us for AI processing. Any AI service you access through the Prompt Library is a separate, independent service governed by that provider's own terms and privacy practices — not ours. We are not responsible for the output, accuracy, or conduct of third-party AI services.

11. Third-Party Services and Links

The Service relies on and links to third-party services, including authentication, payment processing, external job application sites, social media platforms, third-party AI tools, and affiliate merchants. A full list of data processors is maintained in our Privacy Policy.

Third-party services and linked sites are operated independently of PatternDesigners. Except as required by applicable law, we are not responsible for their content, availability, security, terms, or privacy practices. Use of any third-party service is at your own discretion and subject to that provider's own terms.

12. Editorial and Directory Information

PatternDesigners compiles professional directory and editorial information — including designer bios, company profiles, and taxonomy content — in good faith, drawing in part on publicly available and third-party sources.

Professional details change over time, and we cannot guarantee that all information on the Service is complete, current, or error-free. If you rely on directory information for an important decision (such as hiring, commissioning work, or a business relationship), you should independently verify the relevant details with the party concerned.

13. Featured Placement

Where PatternDesigners highlights, features, or prioritizes certain profiles, companies, or listings within the directory, placement may reflect a mix of editorial, platform, and — where applicable — commercial criteria, and these criteria may change over time. Featured placement is not a guarantee or endorsement of the quality, reliability, or suitability of any designer, company, or listing.

PatternDesigners does not currently operate a public verification badge system; if one is introduced, its meaning and criteria will be described here at that time.

14. Payments and Orders

Payments made through the Service (currently, paid job listings) are processed by our third-party payment processor, Stripe. We do not store your full payment card details.

You are responsible for providing valid and current billing information for any purchase. Order records are available to you in your account area. If a payment fails, the associated submission or listing will not proceed until payment is successfully completed. Pricing displayed to you at the time of purchase applies to that transaction.

PatternDesigners does not currently offer subscriptions or recurring billing. If that changes, this section will be updated to describe auto-renewal and cancellation terms at that time.

15. Copyright and Rights Complaints

If you believe content on PatternDesigners infringes your copyright or trademark, misuses your image without authorization, or misattributes your work, please contact us at [email protected] with:

• A description of the content and its location on the Service
• A description of your rights in the material
• Your contact information

We will review reported concerns in good faith and take appropriate action, which may include correcting, removing, or attributing content, consistent with applicable law. Privacy, copyright, rights complaints, legal enquiries, and general support all use this same email address. We do not operate separate inboxes for those topics.

16. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." To the extent permitted by law:

• We do not guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or continuously available
• We do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of directory, editorial, or job listing information
• We do not guarantee that any job listing will remain available, or that applying to a listing will result in any particular employment outcome
• We are not responsible for third-party services, external links, or affiliate products referenced on the Service
• We do not guarantee any particular result from using the AI Prompt Library or any linked third-party AI tool

Service availability

PatternDesigners may temporarily suspend or interrupt the Service for maintenance, security, updates, or technical issues. Uninterrupted availability is not guaranteed.

Nothing in this section excludes or limits a responsibility that cannot legally be excluded or limited in your jurisdiction, including any mandatory consumer rights.

17. Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by law, PatternDesigners and its officers, employees, and affiliates will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from your use of the Service.

Subject to the paragraph below, our total liability for any claim arising from these Terms or the Service is limited as follows:

• If you have not paid PatternDesigners in the 12 months before the claim, our total liability is limited to £100.
• If you have paid PatternDesigners in the 12 months before the claim (for example, for a paid job listing), our total liability is limited to the total amount you paid to PatternDesigners in those 12 months.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited, including liability for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or, where applicable, death or personal injury caused by our negligence. If you are a consumer, nothing in these Terms affects your mandatory statutory rights.

18. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold PatternDesigners harmless from claims, damages, and reasonable expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

• Content you submit that is unlawful or infringes another party's rights
• A job listing you post
• Your misuse of the Service
• Your violation of these Terms

This obligation is limited to claims proportionate to your own actions and use of the Service.

19. Suspension and Termination

We may remove content, suspend or restrict an account, revoke access to a claimed profile, reject or remove a job listing, or terminate an account where you breach these Terms, infringe another party's rights, abuse the Service, provide fraudulent or misleading information, or create a legal or security risk to PatternDesigners or others.

Closing your account does not automatically remove independently sourced public directory information about you or your company. Because aggregated profiles are compiled from publicly available material and may exist independently of any account, removing your account does not itself trigger removal of a profile — if you want a profile taken down or unclaimed, contact us using the process in Section 5 or Section 15.

20. Privacy and Cookies

Our Privacy Policy explains what personal data we collect, why, and how it's used, including data related to affiliate link tracking and site analytics. Our Cookie Policy explains the cookies and tracking technologies we use and how you can manage your preferences. Both are incorporated into these Terms by reference.

21. Changes to the Service

We may add, modify, or remove features of the Service, or change how it is presented, at any time. We do not guarantee that any particular feature will remain available indefinitely. This section does not override any specific paid obligation we owe you for a transaction you have already completed (for example, a job listing you have paid for and that has not yet expired).

22. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last Updated" date above. For material changes, we will provide appropriate notice — such as a prominent notice on the Service or an email to registered users — rather than relying solely on continued use to establish acceptance of significant new obligations.

23. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction to settle any dispute arising from these Terms or the Service, except that if you are a consumer you may also bring proceedings in your local courts where mandatory law requires. Nothing in this section affects any mandatory consumer rights that cannot legally be overridden.

24. Contact

PatternDesigners is operated by James Brown, trading as PatternDesigners, a UK sole trader.

Email: [email protected]
Correspondence address: Colmore Row, Birmingham, B3 2BS, United Kingdom

Use this email for privacy requests, copyright and rights complaints, legal enquiries, and general support. We do not operate separate privacy, copyright, or legal inboxes.