Before sharing confidential plush artwork, prepare a limited capability brief, confirm the receiving company and people, agree how the files may be used, and create a versioned handoff package. Resolve any required confidentiality agreement before releasing protected material. Then give separate written permission for technical review, sampling, and bulk production.
This approach is useful for an unreleased original character, book merchandise, a corporate mascot, or a collection with several designs. It lets you investigate manufacturing fit while controlling which assets move into the next stage. The aim is a clear record of what you shared, with whom, for which purpose, and under which approval.
Scope: This is a practical purchasing checklist, not legal advice or a confidentiality guarantee. Have a qualified lawyer review agreements, ownership questions, and cross-border enforcement for your project.
1. Check capability with a reduced reference first
Your first question is whether the supplier can assess the relevant construction and development work. A full editable character library is rarely the only way to begin that conversation.
Prepare a short brief covering the product format, approximate size, number of designs, intended audience and market, expected quantity per design, and the feature you need assessed. Describe the challenge in manufacturing terms: a compact embroidered face, a sculpted hairstyle, a layered costume, or an attachment point.
If you have permission to disclose a visual, choose a flattened, watermarked reference with unnecessary details removed. Check the exported file for hidden layers, comments, embedded artwork, and document metadata. A reduced file can still reveal a valuable design. If its silhouette or face is itself confidential, begin with a written description or an approved generic reference instead.
Ask the supplier to explain what it can assess from that material, what remains uncertain, and which additional view would resolve the uncertainty. Request public or specifically authorized examples of comparable techniques. Another customer’s confidential artwork should never be the evidence you require.
Record this reply as a preliminary capability assessment. Final construction, fidelity, price, and timing may require more detail and a sample. For a mascot with clothing, our plush clothing specification guide can help you identify which physical features deserve an early feasibility question. For a compact accessory, use the plush keychain size and specification guide to select the technical details relevant to your review.
2. Decide what to disclose at each stage
Use a disclosure plan for each design or character. One approved asset should not silently unlock the rest of a collection.
| Stage | Share only what is needed | Decision before the next stage |
|---|---|---|
| Initial fit | Product description, approximate scale, quantity per design, and an authorized reduced reference if appropriate | Is the project broadly suitable, and what must the supplier see next? |
| Protected technical review | Selected character views and essential construction details after required agreements and access arrangements are in place | Are the interpretation, unresolved questions, and proposed sample scope clear? |
| Sample development | Approved revision, necessary color and detail references, and defined permission to make the agreed sample | Which physical sample and revisions have the authorized reviewers accepted? |
| Production release | The final controlled design package, approved sample identification, and agreed production documentation | Has the authorized buyer released the specified design, quantity, and order? |
| Closeout or pause | A list of assets to retain, return, delete, or keep restricted under the agreement | Who confirms the agreed handling, including copies held by permitted third parties? |
Keep unreleased supporting characters, campaign plans, customer lists, and unrelated source files out of a package unless the current task requires them. Where several suppliers are being evaluated, maintain a separate disclosure log for each.
WIPO identifies confidentiality marking, access restrictions, and agreements with suppliers among possible protective measures, while emphasizing that what is reasonable depends on the circumstances. See WIPO’s guidance on protecting trade secrets. A watermark helps identify a document; it cannot guarantee that the content will remain private.
3. Name the recipients, permitted use, and access route
Before sending a confidential package, identify the legal entity receiving it and your named project contact. Confirm the business email address through an established channel. If a new recipient or unfamiliar upload link appears mid-project, verify it before transferring the files.
Write down three practical boundaries:
- Recipients: Which project roles need access? Who may authorize a new recipient? Will an outside embroiderer, printer, pattern maker, or other subcontractor receive any artwork?
- Use: Is this release for feasibility review, quotation, or an agreed sample? Address showroom display, portfolio use, social posts, trade-fair display, and reuse for another customer’s work separately.
- Access: Which transfer and storage method is agreed? Can access be limited to named accounts? Who manages expiration, download permissions, and access changes?
Ask what controls the recipient can actually support. A view-only link may work for an early review, while a pattern maker may later need a downloadable file. Record that change rather than assuming the original restriction can stay in place throughout production.
For a confidential corporate launch, include the mascot’s name, packaging, sample photographs, and launch information in the discussion where relevant.
4. Put NDA and NNN questions to qualified counsel
An NDA is often part of the conversation. In China-related sourcing, buyers may also encounter an NNN agreement covering non-disclosure, non-use, and non-circumvention. The European Commission’s IP Helpdesk describes these three areas. The title of a document alone does not establish whether its terms fit your transaction or can be enforced as intended.
Give your lawyer the planned disclosure stages and ask them to review:
- The correct contracting entities, authority to sign, effective date, and any earlier disclosures
- Which artwork, technical files, samples, and commercial information are covered, including applicable exclusions
- Permitted purposes, access by employees and subcontractors, and responsibility for onward disclosure
- Restrictions on unauthorized use, sales, display, and circumvention relevant to your business relationship
- Ownership and permitted reuse of patterns, embroidery files, adaptations, and other development outputs
- Duration, return or deletion procedures, necessary retained records, and incident notification
- Governing law, controlling language, dispute forum, remedies, and realistic enforcement options
Leave time for both parties to review proposed terms. A requested agreement may need revision, and acceptance of every buyer-supplied NDA or NNN should never be assumed. If wording remains unresolved, keep the next confidential package on hold and continue only with information you are authorized and comfortable to disclose.
5. Confirm who has the right to authorize manufacture
Handle the authority to manufacture as a separate check. A confidentiality agreement governs handling and use within its terms; it does not establish that the buyer owns every illustration, logo, or character in an attachment.
Identify the rights holder and the document supporting your authority. For commissioned artwork, check the actual agreement with the creator. For licensed merchandise, confirm the relevant product category, territory, channels, term, manufacturer requirements, and approval route with the rights holder or counsel.
WIPO explains that using protected work generally requires authorization, which may take the form of a license or assignment, subject to applicable exceptions. Its copyright FAQ also explains that ownership rules can vary. Keep a project-specific record rather than treating payment for an illustration as sufficient evidence.
For branded and licensed plush projects, identify both the commercial buyer and the person who can approve the character interpretation. Those roles may belong to different organizations.
6. Build a file manifest before the full handoff
A file manifest is a simple list accompanying the artwork package. It gives the supplier a reliable reference and gives your team a record of what left your control.
- Package: Project code, design code, issue date, and package revision
- Each file: Exact filename, revision, format, and purpose
- Status: Reference only, review requested, approved for sampling, or released for the specified production order
- Changes: What changed since the previous package, including affected character views
- Authority: Sender, approved recipients, permitted use, and applicable agreement reference
- Control: Which older files are superseded and how questions or access changes should be raised
For example, “PROJECT-A_CHAR-01_FRONT_v03_REVIEW.pdf” communicates more than “new-final-final.pdf.” Keep the same revision identifier on the manifest, artwork, feedback sheet, and related approval message. If a source file is needed, provide the relevant asset after confirming its purpose rather than automatically sharing an entire working folder.
Ask the recipient to acknowledge the package revision and flag missing or conflicting files. For a collection, record status per character so an approved front view for one design cannot be mistaken for approval of every design.
When revising a detail, issue a replacement package or an unambiguous change notice. Archive superseded files in your own records, identify them as obsolete, and tell the recipient which revision now controls. Avoid silently replacing a file behind an unchanged link after someone has reviewed it.
7. Separate review approval, sample approval, and production release
Short replies such as “approved” can create confusion when several decisions are open. Name the object and the permission in each approval:
- Technical review: Permission to assess the listed files and return questions or recommendations within the agreed scope
- Sample development: Permission to make the defined sample using an identified artwork revision
- Sample acceptance: Confirmation of the physical sample or specified features accepted, with remaining conditions recorded
- Bulk production release: Authorization tied to the agreed order, final specification, approved sample, and relevant commercial and rights-holder requirements
A color comment from a designer may be limited to color. A licensor’s visual approval may still leave packaging, purchasing, or other release requirements open. Name the buyer-side decision owner for each step.
Aokuma’s minimum order is 500 pieces per design. Establish quantity per design during the initial fit discussion and confirm the exact order scope before production release. Our custom plush sampling guide explains how to prepare for the physical development and review stage.
8. Plan how access ends or changes
Decide what happens if a supplier is not selected, a character is removed, a contact leaves, or the project pauses. Remove access you control and send a clear stop-use or revision notice through the agreed channel.
Revoking a link does not remove copies already downloaded. Ask for the return, deletion, or restricted retention required by the agreement, including permitted third-party copies and physical samples. Clarify any backup or legal-record retention exceptions with counsel and the recipient.
WIPO’s trade secret management guidance recommends monitoring shared information and addressing return or destruction at the end of a collaboration. Keep acknowledgments with your disclosure record. If you suspect unauthorized access, preserve the relevant messages and access history, restrict further sharing, and involve your legal and security advisers promptly.
A practical artwork handoff note
Adapt this operational note to the agreement and controls actually accepted by both parties. It is not a substitute for a legal agreement.
- Project and design: [Project code and included character codes]
- Current stage: [Capability review / technical review / authorized sample / production release]
- Package: [Revision, date, manifest, and file count]
- Recipients: [Receiving entity, named contact, and approved project roles]
- Permitted task: [The specific assessment or work authorized]
- Agreement: [Applicable signed agreement reference and effective date, if required]
- Approval contact: [Person responsible for the next decision]
- Superseded material: [Previous revisions and required handling]
- Please confirm: Receipt of this revision, access limited as agreed, and any additional files or recipients needed before proceeding
Frequently asked questions
Must I send editable artwork to get an initial answer?
You can begin with a written brief and an authorized reduced reference. Ask what the supplier can conclude from it. Editable assets may be needed later for a specific development task; release them when the purpose and access arrangements are clear.
Does a watermark or signed NDA guarantee protection?
No. Marking, agreements, recipient checks, controlled access, and documented handling serve different purposes. Protection and enforcement depend on the facts and applicable law. Review important disclosures and agreements with qualified counsel.
Can I send one character before sharing the entire range?
Yes, if that character is authorized for disclosure. Explain any shared construction challenges without exposing the rest of the range. Keep separate file and approval status for every character as the project expands.
Can sample photographs be used in the supplier’s portfolio?
Address that permission explicitly. Specify any approved images, audience, channel, and release date. Project development and sampling approval should not be treated as a public-use decision.
Start with the capability question
Contact Aokuma about your confidential plush project with the product format, number of designs, approximate quantity per design, and the construction question you want assessed. Mention any NDA or NNN review requirement before attaching confidential artwork, then agree the next disclosure step.
