With a copyright license agreement, a company or an individual can license intellectual property which in turn shall bring immediate positive effect on the said company’s finances, revenues, and decreasing costs.
However, the company that is willing to get the license in property shall ensure that the licensor does own a valid title to the desired items. So, it is advisable to obtain a basic understanding of copyright agreement.
What Is a Copyright License Agreement?
A company or an individual can gain exclusive copyright, trademarks, titles, and all other related rights to a product, copy, name, and several other things.
The licensor has agreed to grant a license authorizing in accordance with the terms and conditions of this agreement. The license seeker shall provide the consent to the agreement by signing it.
This agreement allows the license seeker to use the licensed work or product but not gain ownership of it.
This way the company shall gain rights to sell or manufacture the products easily and effectively. The license provider also benefits from the marketing activities carried out by the new license holder.
Moreover, it consists of all the detailed information like the material used, its incorporation, and publication regarding the product or service being patented. This legal document will be a way to protect the copyright holder’s right if ever the work gets replicated.
Get a Free Copyright License Agreement Template Now!
When you plan to use copyrighted content, you must follow a thorough legal procedure to obtain it. That’s where you should use our copyright license agreement template verified by our lawyer team. Download our free template below and get access to products or services protected by copyright.
Who Needs a Copyright License Agreement?
Usually, a copyright agreement is used in the following circumstances:
- For using another company or person’s copyrighted products or services, a party needs to put that arrangement in writing.
- For allowing other companies or individuals to use the owner’s product or services, a copyright agreement needs to form as proof of the deal.
In fact, copyright license is used to allow a party to use a certain property that is currently owned by another party. So, a license seeker wishes to acquire this product or service for commercial or personal use.
The copyright license agreement helps the owner to protect and control his work from being used by anyone or anywhere. It gives the power to get to call the shots about who uses the works and how.
It could be allowing the artwork to reprint, distribute, promote, use for a specified period, or more. In turn the user shall pay a royalty or money to the owner. However, the rights of the copyright license are temporary and limited to the stated period in the agreement.
Don't confuse the copyright license agreement with a copyright assignment, which transfers the intellectual property’s ownership permanently.
What Is Included in the Copyright License Agreement?
Both parties shall abide by the following terms:
- Grant of License: The owner of the intellectual property grants an exclusive or non-exclusive license to the license seeker. The ownership of the property and provide the rights to products, materials, or other works mentioned in the agreement.
- Rights and Obligations: The proprietary rights of the license holder shall be mentioned here to avoid any future misunderstanding. It should be precise and verified by both the parties before providing their signature.
- Payment: The amount of the payment or royalty shall be calculated and the due dates till which the payment shall be completed are also mentioned.
- Modifications: With the owner’s prior written approval, the user shall not modify or change the property in any manner. The license holder shall not utilize or do anything unlawful or prohibited by the terms of the agreement.
- Transfer of Rights: Both the parties are restricted to assign its interest in this agreement to any third party until there is no written consent for the same is provided.
- Amendment: Both parties need to sign a different document for any kind of amendment or modification in the existing agreement.
- Termination: In case of unprecedented circumstances and the need to terminate the agreement arises, the party shall provide 30 days written notice to the other party.
Get a Free Copyright License Agreement Template Now!
When you plan to use copyrighted content, you must follow a thorough legal procedure to obtain it. That’s where you should use our copyright license agreement template verified by our lawyer team. Download our free template below and get access to products or services protected by copyright.
Conclusion
It is crucial to include all the necessary clauses in the agreement. However, the agreement could be customized in accordance with the copyrighted work or product’s needs. The parties shall use sample copyright license agreement for reference to prepare their own.
You can check out CocoSign for a more relevant and up-to-date copyright license agreement template for free. Our expert team is always here to help you with your problems. You could get more detailed information about other agreements on our website.
DOCUMENT PREVIEW
COPYRIGHT LICENSE AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT (the “Agreement”) is made and entered into effective as of the [DATE] (the “Effective Date”), by and between [NAME OF LICENSOR], a Delaware Corporation (the “Licensor”), and [NAME OF LICENSEE], a New York LLC (the “Licensee”).
RECITALS:
(A) Licensor owns all proprietary rights in and to the copyrightable and/or copyrighted works as described in Appendix A, incorporated herein by reference, and hereinafter collectively known as the “Work”, and has the exclusive right to license to others the right to produce, copy, make, sublicense or sell the Work.
(B) Licensor owns all rights in and to the Work and retains all rights to the Work, which are not transferred herein, and retains all common law copyrights and all federal copyrights which have been, or which may be, granted by the Library of Congress.
(C) Licensee desires to obtain, and Licensor has agreed to grant, a license authorizing the use of the Work by Licensee in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual covenants and agreements hereinafter set forth and for other good and valuable consideration as set forth herein, Licensor and Licensee agree as follows:
1. Grant of License.
(A) Licensor hereby grants to Licensee, in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, a non-exclusive, non-transferrable license to use the Work in the course of its business and for its own internal business purposes, and for no other purpose whatsoever without the express written permission of the Licensor. Licensee shall not sell or distribute the Work in any way. Licensee may copy the Work in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, for general advertising materials and point of sale displays, advertising, and other promotional materials for the Work, and for its own internal business purposes. Any other use made by Licensee shall only occur upon the receipt of prior written approval from Licensor.
(B) Licensee shall not sell, grant sub-licenses or distribute the Work in any way without the prior express written approval of Licensor.
(C) Licensee hereby accepts such license and agrees that Licensee shall not use the Work except in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. Licensee acknowledges and agrees that the license granted herein is non-exclusive and that Licensor may license others to use the Work.
2. Ownership of the Work. Licensee acknowledges that Licensor is the sole and exclusive owner of the Work and of all associated federal intellectual property registrations and pending registrations, as applicable, and Licensee shall do nothing inconsistent with such ownership. Licensee further agrees that it will not claim ownership rights to the Work, or any derivative, compilation, sequel or series, or related Work owned by or used by Licensor. Licensee agrees that nothing in this Agreement shall give Licensee any right, title, or interest in the Work other than the right to use the same in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. Licensee agrees not to make similar derivatives of the Work. Licensee admits the validity of all copyrights for the Work and all associated intellectual property registrations, and acknowledges that any and all rights that might be acquired by Licensee because of its use of the Work shall inure to the sole benefit of Licensor.
3. Term and Termination.
(A) This Agreement shall commence as of the Effective Date and shall continue in full force and effect for a period of one year, and shall automatically renew for additional one-year periods, unless either party provides written notice of non-renewal to the other party, not less than sixty days prior to the expiration of any one year term.
(B) In the event that Licensee sells all of its assets to a third party, or otherwise ceases to exist in its current form, Licensor, at its discretion, may immediately terminate this Agreement.
(C) Upon termination or expiration of the license granted under this Agreement by operation of law or otherwise, all rights, including the right to use the Work, privileges and obligations arising from this Agreement shall cease to exist.
4. Fees.
Licensee agrees to pay Licensor a one time royalty of $[PRICE] upon execution of this Agreement. Renewals or extensions of this Agreement are subject to additional fees, to be agreed upon by the Parties prior to renewal or extension
5. Use of the Work.
(A) Licensor shall have control over the quality of use of the Work and the quality of any goods and/or services sold under or related to the Work. At the option of Licensor, Licensor will provide to Licensee an approved copyright notice and/or trademark notice to be prominently displayed on each copy of the Work published. For all advertisements and packaging of the Work, Licensee shall display with the Work the approved notices notifying the consumer of the copyright and/or trademark rights owned by and licensed within this Agreement. Licensee agrees to mark all Work with any reasonable copyright and/or trademark notices provided by Licensor and comply with any reasonable standards promulgated by Licensor that relate to the intellectual property protection and use of the Work by Licensee.
(B) Licensee shall provide Licensor, upon Licensor’s request, with representative samples of how Licensee is using the Work. If, at any time, any use of the Work fails to conform to Licensor’s standards, Licensor may provide to Licensee notice of said failure. Licensee shall cure said failure within fifteen days from the date of such notice. In the event that said failure is not cured within the period described in the preceding sentence, Licensor may then terminate this Agreement immediately, non-conforming copies of the Work destroyed or promptly submitted to Licensor. If Licensor fails to approve any modifications or changes to the Work within ten days of Licensee advising Licensor of proposed changes, Licensor’s approval shall be deemed to have been granted.
6. Indemnification.
(A) Licensee shall fully indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Licensor from and against any and all claims, losses, damages, expenses, and liability — other than those for infringement, including without limitation, suits arising from offering, promoting, advertising, sale, or use by Licensee, or any of its authorized sublicenses, of the Work, whether or not such use conforms to standards set by Licensor, provided that such claim, loss, damage, expense, or liability does not arise from the negligence of Licensor.
(B) Licensor has the right, but shall not be obligated, to obtain and maintain federal intellectual property registration of the Work. In the event that Licensee becomes aware of any claimed or alleged infringement of the Work by a third party, Licensee shall promptly advise Licensor in writing of the nature and extent of such infringement or dilution. Licensor has no obligation to take any action whatsoever in the event that any infringement or dilution occurs with respect to the Work, but Licensor shall have the sole right to determine whether any action shall be taken. In the event Licensor sues or takes other action, legal, equitable, administrative, or otherwise, to stop an infringement or dilution of the Work, Licensee shall cooperate fully with Licensor. Licensee has no right to enforce the Work through litigation without prior written authorization of Licensor. In any legal action arising from use, or ownership rights of the Work, where both Licensor and Licensee are co-parties, Licensor retains the right to control the litigation, including any and all settlement negotiations.
7. Assignment. This Agreement (including, without limitation, the license granted hereunder) is personal to Licensee and shall not be assigned or transferred by Licensee, including, without limitation, by operation of law, except that, and only with prompt written notice to Licensor, the Agreement may be transferred to a purchaser of all or substantially all of the assets of Licensee. Any attempt on the part of Licensee to assign, sub-license, or transfer Licensee’s rights under this Agreement, except as provided herein, shall be invalid and void. Licensor shall have the right to assign and/or license its rights and obligations under this Agreement and all its right, title and interest in the Work without the consent of Licensee.
8. Notices. Any notice, demand or request required or permitted to be given under the provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and delivered personally or by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, with postage prepaid and addressed to the
following persons and addresses, or to such other addresses or persons as any party may request by notice in writing to the other such party:
Licensor:
Name: [LICENSOR NAME]
Company: [LICENSOR COMPANY]
Address: [LICENSOR ADDRESS]
Telephone: [LICENSOR TELEPHONE]
Email: [LICENSOR EMAIL]
Licensee:
Name: [LICENSEE NAME]
Company: [LICENSEE COMPANY]
Address: [LICENSEE ADDRESS]
Telephone: [LICENSEE TELEPHONE]
Email: [LICENSEE EMAIL]
Any such notice shall be effective when received.
9. Arbitration and Governing Law. All disputes arising from the terms of this Agreement may be subjected to binding arbitration upon consent of both parties, with one arbitrator selected by each party, and a third arbitrator selected by the two chosen arbitrators. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [STATE OF RESIDENCE] without regard to the conflicts of laws rules thereof and any arbitration shall be brought in [STATE OF ARBITRATION] using [LAWS OF ARBITRATION] laws.
10. Independent Business Relationship. Licensor and Licensee are independent entities and are not and shall not be construed as joint venturers, partners, employer/employee, or agents of the other, and neither shall have the power to bind or obligate the other, except as set forth in this Agreement.
11. Miscellaneous.
(A) This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the Licensor and Licensee with respect to the subject matter hereof, superseding any and all prior agreements, understandings, negotiations, and discussions. No amendment, alteration, modification, or waiver of this Agreement shall be binding unless evidenced by an instrument in writing signed by the party against whom enforcement thereof is sought.
