Category: Legal, Photography

Definition: A legal agreement granting permission to use creative works (photography, models' likenesses, designs) for commercial purposes such as advertising, product sales, and business promotion. Typically involves payment and defined terms.

Why It Matters: Required for all business/commercial use; affects budget and pricing; determines permissible uses; protects against legal action; enables monetization of content; defines competitive restrictions.

Use Cases: Product photography licensing, stock image purchases, hiring photographers, model agreements, using music in videos, licensing brand imagery, commercial advertising.

Example of Real Use Case: A small fashion brand uses a stock photo without commercial license for their advertising campaign. They face a $25,000 lawsuit from the photographer, learning the importance of proper licensing the expensive way.

Software/Service: Stock photo platforms (Shutterstock, Getty, Adobe Stock), legal contract templates, licensing management systems

Common Issues: Using content without proper license, misunderstanding license scope, royalty-free vs rights-managed confusion, expired licenses, sublicensing without permission, territory restrictions.

Do's and Don'ts:

• ✓ Do obtain proper licenses before commercial use

• ✓ Do understand license terms and restrictions

• ✓ Do keep license documentation accessible

• ✓ Do budget for appropriate licensing

• ✗ Don't use content without commercial rights

• ✗ Don't assume personal use licenses cover commercial

• ✗ Don't ignore attribution requirements

Related Terms: Usage Rights, Copyright, Model Release, Stock Photography, Intellectual Property

Also Known As: Commercial Rights, Business License, Commercial Use Agreement