Sometimes a brand doesn’t want new content. It wants the video a creator already posted, the one that’s already working. A content licensing agreement lets the brand use that existing work on clearly defined terms while the creator keeps ownership.
Free to start. A template to adapt, not legal advice. See every clause.
A content licensing agreement grants permission to use specific, existing works. It’s the right document when a brand spots an organic review it wants to turn into an ad, when an earlier campaign’s licence has expired and the brand wants more time, or when a creator sells footage from their library.
Unlike a commissioning contract, nothing new is being produced, so the whole agreement is about the grant: exactly which works, which media, which countries, how long, whether anyone else can license the same work, and what the brand may change. Each of those dimensions affects the price.
A licence isn’t a sale. The creator keeps the copyright and the brand gets defined permission. If the brand wants to own the work outright, that’s an assignment, a different document that should be priced as a buyout.
The clauses below make up a content licence. Most of them define the scope of the grant.
Identifies each work by link, platform, posting date and a short description, and states that only those works are covered.
States the type of licence. Non-exclusive means the creator can license the same work to others; exclusive means they can’t, for the term. Exclusivity normally costs more.
Creators: An exclusive licence also stops you using the work in your own paid promotions; check that’s acceptable.
Lists where the work can appear: brand social accounts, paid social, website, email, digital out-of-home, TV. Anything not listed isn’t licensed.
Brands: Think about where an ad might end up in six months. Adding a channel later costs more than including it now.
Says which countries the licence covers. Worldwide is common for online use, but regional pricing makes sense for campaigns in one market.
States when the licence starts and ends, and what the brand must do at expiry: stop running ads, and remove the work from places it controls, with a reasonable wind-down period.
Creators: Organic posts on the brand’s feed are often allowed to stay up after expiry. Decide that explicitly.
Sets what changes the brand may make (trimming, captions, overlays, music, combining with other footage) and what it may not do, like changing what the creator says or using AI to generate new speech.
Creators: Add a specific restriction on synthetic edits of your face or voice.
Says whether and how the creator is credited, for example tagging their handle in organic posts. Paid ads are usually exempt.
Sets the licence fee and payment terms, and the price of extensions so the brand can renew without renegotiating from scratch.
The creator confirms they own the work and have consent from anyone shown in it; the brand confirms it will use the work only as licensed and is responsible for its own ad copy and claims.
A sample grant clause for licensing one existing TikTok video for paid social use.
Content Licence — Section 1
1.1 Licensed Work. The TikTok video posted by Licensor at [link] on [date] (the “Licensed Work”).
1.2 Grant. Licensor grants Licensee a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Licensed Work in paid advertising on [TikTok, Instagram and Facebook] in [the United States and Canada] from [start date] to [end date].
1.3 Edits. Licensee may trim, crop, caption and add its logo to the Licensed Work. Licensee will not alter Licensor’s words, or create synthetic audio or video of Licensor.
1.4 Expiry. Licensee will stop all paid placements of the Licensed Work within [5] business days after the end date.
List the works, choose the media, territory and term, and send a licence to sign.
A contract in which the owner of existing content, such as a creator, gives someone else, such as a brand, permission to use it in defined ways for a defined period, without transferring ownership.
A licence grants limited permission while the creator keeps ownership. A buyout, or assignment, transfers ownership to the brand. Buyouts are usually priced much higher because the creator gives up all future value.
Sharing or stitching within the platform’s own features is governed by the platform’s terms. Downloading the video and running it as an ad or on other channels needs your permission, which is what a licensing agreement gives.
It depends on the media, term, territory and exclusivity. Many creators start from their paid-usage rates for new content and adjust for how much the video has already proven itself.
The brand must stop using the work in the ways the licence covered, usually after a short wind-down. Renewals should be priced in the agreement so they can be bought quickly.
When the brand wants to run the licensed video from your handle.
Read the templateWhen the brand wants new content made to brief.
Read the templatePrice licence terms by media and duration.
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