What you really buy, why paid advertising is not covered by default, and the clause to put in writing.
The three basic lines
They are enough to make a contract workable.
The duration: a number of months, with a starting date.
The channels: each one named, never a general word. Organic post, paid advertising, website, marketplace, email, in-store screen, outdoor.
And the territory: a country, a region, or the world.
An assignment that does not list those three covers only what it names, and everything else is renegotiated, at the price of the day.
The right to the video and the right to the person
Two distinct authorisations, and confusing them costs both parties dearly.
The first covers the file: the edit, the images, the sound.
The second covers the person on screen: their face, their voice, their name.
Three practical consequences. A brand buying the video does not automatically get the right to use the face in advertising. A person may accept an organic post and refuse paid distribution. And the image authorisation must state its duration, its channels and what happens on withdrawal.
What else must appear
Five clauses, and they settle the most frequent disputes.
Exclusivity: its duration, its scope and its price, never given away.
The modifications allowed: cutting, subtitling, translation, adding music, reframing, changing the pace.
The fate of the raw files: delivered or not, and with which rights.
Internal use: sales presentations, team training, trade shows, which are not advertising channels but are still uses.
And the moment the assignment takes effect: on full payment, which aligns the rights with getting paid.
The four parameters that set the price
| Parameter | What it opens | What makes it costlier |
|---|---|---|
| The media | Social, website, in store, television | Every added channel |
| The duration | From three months to unlimited | Unlimited, always |
| The territory | A city, a country, the world | Going worldwide |
| Exclusivity | Turning down competitors | The length of the period |
What is read before signing
The automatic renewal clause, the one allowing the rights to pass to a third party, and the fate of the source files once the period ends.
What stays with the creator after the licence
Authorship and the right to object to a modification that distorts the edit, unless otherwise agreed in writing, to be confirmed with a lawyer.
The habit that avoids almost everything
One question, asked before pricing, and it replaces twenty clauses.
Where will this video be visible in eighteen months, and to whom.
If the answer mentions resellers, online marketplaces, a printed catalogue or an in-store screen, those uses must be written down and paid for now, not discovered later.
Two habits complete that reflex. Keep a table with one line per video: creator, date, duration, channels, territory, sublicensing allowed or not, end date. And set a reminder one month before each expiry: that is when an extension is negotiated calmly, whereas a video still running after expiry is always handled in a hurry, in a balance of power that suits nobody.
