• Try “portfolio”, “ink”, “branding” or a code like “PRS 101”.

CBE 220Creative Business and Entrepreneurship

Understanding Commercial Licensing

Learn how artists license work for commercial use: licence types, scope, territory, duration, exclusivity, fees, royalties and reading licence terms.

Planned

About this course

Licensing lets you earn from the same artwork many times while keeping ownership. This course explains, in educational terms, how commercial licences work for illustration, design, photography and fine art: the difference between a licence and an assignment, the variables that define a licence (media, territory, duration, exclusivity, quantity), flat fees vs royalties, licensing through agents, print-on-demand and product partners, and how to read and question licence terms. It builds on Copyright for Visual Artists.

Who it’s for: Illustrators, designers, photographers and artists approached for commercial use of their work, or who want to license it. Copyright for Visual Artists is required.

You will be able to

  • Explain the difference between a licence and an assignment of copyright
  • Define a licence using media, territory, duration, exclusivity and quantity
  • Compare flat-fee and royalty licensing models for a given scenario
  • Identify questions to raise about terms in a sample licence agreement
  • Draft a plain-language licence summary for a client

Prerequisites

Studio project

An annotated review of a sample licence with red flags, questions, a plain-language summary and a reasoned counter-proposal.

To complete this course

  • Complete every required lesson.
  • Have the assignment “Licence review and summary” accepted by an instructor.
  • Records of completion are issued only for courses whose content has passed instructor review.

Part of

Syllabus

Working titles: they may change as the course is written.

  1. Module 1: Licensing basics

    Permission, not ownership.

    1. 1.1Licence vs assignmentReading · 25 min
    2. 1.2Where licensing happensReading · 20 min

  2. Module 2: Defining a licence

    The variables that shape scope and fee.

    1. 2.1Media, territory, duration, exclusivity, quantityReading · 30 min
    2. 2.2Exclusive vs non-exclusiveReading · 20 min
    3. 2.3Writing a licence summaryExercise · 30 min

  3. Module 3: Fees and royalties

    How licensing pays.

    1. 3.1Flat feesReading · 20 min
    2. 3.2Royalties and advancesReading · 25 min
    3. 3.3Agents and platformsReading · 25 min

  4. Module 4: Reading licence terms

    Ask questions before you sign.

    1. 4.1Common clausesReading · 30 min
    2. 4.2Red flagsExercise · 30 min
    3. 4.3Licence records and image metadataReading · 15 min

Educational information about Canadian and international practice, not legal advice. Rules differ by country and situation. For decisions about your work, contracts or a dispute, consult a qualified lawyer or other professional.

Sources

Author: Ricketts University curriculum team (draft for founder review) · Not yet reviewed

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