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Licensing agreement

A licensing agreement sets out the permission a rights holder gives another person or organisation to use their content, and the conditions of that use. For images, video and other marketing assets, it defines what a team may do with the material without transferring copyright ownership simply by granting a licence.

Page at a glance

Purpose: Record permission to use content and its conditions.
Scope: Check permitted uses, locations and any time limits.
Ownership: A licence is different from a transfer of copyright.
Before reuse: Compare the proposed use with the actual agreement.
In DAM: Keep the agreement and a clear rights summary alongside the asset.

HOW IT WORKS

What does a licensing agreement cover?

For a marketing team, the useful question is whether the agreement covers the proposed use of the asset. Permission for one campaign does not automatically cover a different purpose.

Read the agreement for:

Content and parties: Which assets are covered and who grants the permission.
Permitted use: The channels or purposes allowed, such as a website, printed report or advertising.
Territory and duration: Where and for how long the permission applies, if limited.
Conditions: Any required credit, restrictions on changes or other obligations.

The exact terms matter. GOV.UK explains how copyright licences and transfers differ. If wording is unclear, resolve it with the rights holder or an appropriate adviser before relying on it.

IN PRACTICE

Keeping licence information with your assets

A digital asset management (DAM) system gives teams a place to record rights information alongside an image or video. A useful record includes the agreement or a reference to it, a plain-English summary of permitted use and the person to contact with questions. The summary should help people find the terms, rather than replace them.

Asset Bank supports Usage Rights and Credit fields. These can be configured to appear on the download page, so users see relevant information when selecting an asset.

A practical review checklist

Identify the exact asset and locate its agreement.
Compare the intended channel, audience, location and dates with the recorded permission.
Check whether a credit or other condition needs to appear with the asset.
Record who checked the use and flag questions to the person responsible for rights.
Update the record when revised permission is agreed.

Being able to find or download an asset is not evidence that every use is allowed. Access controls and rights information serve different purposes.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE

Taking a report image into a new campaign

A charity commissions a photograph for its annual report. The recorded agreement allows use in that report, including the PDF version on its website.

Later, the fundraising team selects the photograph for a paid advertising campaign. The asset record links to the agreement, so the team can see that the new use falls outside the permission recorded for the report.

Before launching, the team asks the rights holder for an extension covering the planned advertising, or selects a different image with suitable permission. If the extension is agreed, the team adds it to the asset record and updates the rights summary.

Takeaway: an attractive image from an earlier project needs a fresh rights check when its proposed use changes.

Frequently asked questions

Where should we keep the licensing agreement?

Keep the agreement, or a reliable link to it, with the asset record so colleagues can find the original terms. Add a concise rights summary and a contact for questions. In Asset Bank, Usage Rights and Credit fields can be configured to show when users download an asset.

Does access to an image mean we can use it in any campaign?

No. Access shows that you can obtain the file; it does not establish permission for a particular use. Check the recorded agreement against the new campaign and resolve any gap before using the image.

What should we update when a licence changes?

Keep the revised agreement with the asset and update the rights summary, relevant dates and any credit instructions. Make the current terms clear to colleagues, and retain enough context to distinguish the new permission from the earlier agreement.

Sources and further reading

GOV.UK: Using somebody else’s copyright material: licences, conditions and transfers of ownership.
Asset Bank: Rights Management, Credits and Copyright: recording and displaying rights information.

Sources checked: 31 October 2026.