Important Changes To Our Exclusivity Policy

Is it for new item or it covers previous items also? @SpaceStockFootage

New and existing items.

Suppose, i have HTML template in Envato and I got reject PSD Version in themeforest. So i have to sell that in my own website anyhow. Now in that policy envato should confirm that, they will apporove all of my family products unless we should have to sell outside of the Envato.

Also we want item based Exclusivity not author/profile based. Just add a checkbox in item submission page so we can select, how we want to sell the item…

I think that NEW policy will harm our business and lots of author will leave the Envato for that reason. So that decision should be change.

  • Envato Elements cut the sales in themeforest
  • Item approval time now 22 days +
  • Item submission limit in themeforest.

So work on these issues, Dont make the themforest down by yours crazy policies.

9 Likes

Well. I’m clear about new policy. I’ve a suggestion about submission, Increase quota for non-elite author. Its help author to submit more items which is outside of envato market and who plans to upload different version to other marketplace.
@jamesgiroux, @SpaceStockFootage

Hello,

I have HTML & WordPress versions in Envato but Joomla Version sell from my own site only, is it allow ? @jamesgiroux

Please clear me this point not others marketplace Just my own website same domain name as my envato username.

Thanks

No, I don’t know this history.

1 Like

As new policy, you can’t sell Joomla version from your Website.

It’s kind of a logical next step. Don’t sell a lite version on Envato and then offer a premium version on your own site, taking all the traffic from Envato and not paying any fees. At least that’s what I feel they are trying to stop with this new set of rules.

This is an awkward phrase as it is explained a bit further in the terms.

what James meant that you as an author do not need to be exclusive meaning that you can create for other markets just not the same items that are on envato in this case portfolios.

A few questions I came up with :thinking:

1. Can I create free WordPress plugins, published on either my site or WordPress.org, that I use to run my themes? For example - I’ve made Easy Photography Portfolio for our themes, but anyone can use it on WordPress.org.

2. If someone on Creative Market decides to make a premium extension for “Easy Photography Portfolio”, or a WordPress Theme based on it - they can easily do so. That’s okay too? “Easy Photography Portfolio” has nothing to do with Themeforest really.

3.1 What about if I decide to sell plugin extensions for “Easy Photography Portfolio” on Creative Market instead of CodeCanyon? I’ve never sold anything on CodeCanyon and “Easy Photography Portfolio” is a GPLv3 licensed open source plugin that’s on w.org - Envato has nothing to do with it, except for that I’m using it as a plugin for my themes.

3.2 In theory, the extensions I’d make to sell on Creative Market are compatible with Easy Photography Portfolio, and that plugin is compatible with our themes. That means that extensions I make, for “Easy Photography Portfolio” are made for “Easy Photography Portfolio”, however, they’re also, automatically compatible with our themes. Does that violate exclusivity?

3.3. Another hypothetical scenario: WooCommerce makes WooCommerce. I make WooCommerce themes on ThemeForest. I also want to make a plugin that I want to sell on Creative Market that adds a beautiful border around all WooCommerce images. It’s made for the WooComerce plugin, not our themes, but it works with our themes too. Does that violate exclusivity?

It is all about product family. Not for the Add-on.

You can create free plugins and can be used in theme.

1 Like
  1. What if I want to sell a premium plugin outside Envato network that’s compatible with any theme, including our themes?
  2. What if our themes have custom styling to make that plugin look good?

It is allowed. No problem for Add-on item. You can’t sell or give away outside which is same design or same products.

Correction for Previosu reply: You can create free items on WP.ORG which is lite:

However, Envato authors of WordPress themes and plugins are permitted to offer lite versions (a version with reduced/limited functionality) of their exclusive themes and plugins for free on wordpress.org. See the Exclusivity Policy for more information about being an exclusive author.

I understand that stricter rules had to be enforced to stop authors from abusing the system. Example of such things: having a lite (with a very low price) version on Themeforest and providing a PRO version on their own site. This is not good for Envato and I get these new rules.

But ask yourselves why are authors doing this? You are making things more difficult and making more rules that benefit mostly / only Envato. Example of making it more difficult: we cannot provide freebies anymore. A freemium model of providing a free HTML version and trying to upsell to a WordPress version is no longer possible.

You also have not provided any marketing / new tools that allow us to maximize the customer (suggestions of such tools are found all around the forums). Consider adding things that actually benefit the authors. Example: we have no way to email our customers. If you create a system on Themeforest, we won’t know their email, you can keep their info safe and make the restrictions you want, but we would still have a way to contact them.

Please consider changing the rules so we can still have alternative ways of getting customers. The freebie section on our own site example is not damaging your revenue, it is actually getting traffic to Themeforest (if we manage to upsell the user).

6 Likes

No, it’s not allowed. Different versions of the same item are all classed as part of the same product family.

So if I have a PHP script sold exclusively on Codecanyon can I sell SaaS services based on this script?

Thanks

totally agree!

Can anyone explain what about Videohive? Last 2 years i’m creating multi-platform items for Adobe After Effects and the same item for Apple Motion 5 as well Final Cut Pro X. Are they somehow in the same Product Family?
This is very confusing for me…

Yes.

  1. Multiplatform Ports: Items that have been ported to work on other platforms or with other software/technologies. Example: MyTheme for WP, MyTheme for Magento, MyTheme for Drupal, etc; or MyTemplate for After Effects and MyTemplate for Apple Motion.

From the policy link at the very top of the original post (Exclusive Author Information).

1 Like

So, basically speaking, if we leave it as is (I’m currently Exclusive) it will stay that way, basically, no intervention required by the author if the author is already exclusive, right? :slight_smile: