Licensing Agreement

Did you know that copyright law requires exclusive licenses to be in writing to be valid?

Even if you aren’t doing an exclusive license, getting your licensing agreement in writing means that you and the other side are on the same page about what can be done with the copyrighted content.

This template will help you create easier relationships with your licensees, by giving them a contract that’s easy to read and light on the legal jargon.

Because for you and your licensees to get on the same page, you literally need to get on the same page. And that’s exactly what this contract will do.

Can’t I just hack together my contract from free templates?

Maybe you’ve tried to create a contract before. Maybe you’ve downloaded a bunch of free templates, and cut and pasted them together. Maybe your friend shared her contract that was written by a lawyer.

But you likely wonder,

• When push comes to shove, will this really protect my artwork?
• What happens if they put my artwork on additional products?
• What happens if they don’t pay?

This lawyer-drafted template will give you everything you need to create a custom licensing agreement that protects you and your artwork. You’ll go from not knowing what to include to confidently handing it over to your licensee. (And the contract skips all that unnecessary legal jargon, so it’s easy for you and your licensees to understand!)

And if you get stuck, you’ll have access to our 24/7 online community to help you out!

Who is this template for?

This agreement is designed for creatives that want to license copyrighted material including:

• artwork
• illustrations
• photographs
• course content
• written material
• videos

It’s a detailed ~6-page agreement that’s fair to both you and your licensee. And it makes sure that you and your licensee have the exact same understanding about what products, uses, or ways the licensed content can be used.

It also includes an example of how I’d customize it for using artwork on tea towels.

What do I have for you?

• Instant access to an 6-page Google Doc template agreement that you can save to your own Google Drive or download to edit.
• Instant access within the Google Doc to an example of how the template agreement might be customized to license artwork for tea towels.
• Instant access to an ~38-minute closed-captioned video walking you through the agreement and explaining what it says so you can easily explain it to your licensees and customize it to fit your situation.
• Instant access to the written transcript of the video as a Google Doc for those who prefer to read.

Even though the template is six pages long, my hope is that your finished contract is three pages or less!

Inside you’ll find information on when it’s appropriate to remove certain sections based on the kind of licensing deal you make. And the template gives you:

• Three options on how you’ll be paid (flat-rate, amount per item sold, royalty rate)
• A requirement that you are given regular statements of what is sold
• The ability to audit their records if you believe you aren’t being paid fairly
• The ability to end the license if they aren’t paying you your royalties

And as a bonus, you’ll also get access to our Write a Contract course so you can feel even more confident about your licensing agreement.