A campaign that outlived its licence
An advert used a commercial track licensed for one year of online advertising in the UK. The campaign ended, but the client kept the film on their website and YouTube channel, and a year later reactivated it in a new ad campaign in Ireland. Nobody at the client knew about the licence limits. Nobody at the production company knew the film was still in use.
The rights holder's agent contacts the client. The client contacts the production company, asking why they were not warned.
Why licence end dates are missed
- Terms are written on licence documents that are filed and forgotten.
- Time-limited licences are mixed in with perpetual ones, so nothing stands out.
- Stock footage, stills, fonts and talent usage can also carry terms, not just music.
- The production company does not know how the client is using the video after delivery.
- The client does not know the video contains anything with an end date.
What happens when a licence ends, and whether a particular continued use is a problem, are questions for the rights holder's terms and your adviser. What we build makes sure end dates are seen in time.
What a missed end date costs
Continued use after a licence ends can mean a demand from the rights holder, a takedown, or a hurried re-edit. Clients look to the production company for why they were not told, and it damages trust even if the terms were clear in the delivery documents. Last-minute replacements cost editing time at short notice.
How we build licence expiry tracking
- Every time-limited item across projects is listed: music, stock footage, stills, fonts, talent usage periods, each with start date, end date, media and territory.
- Each item is linked to every deliverable that contains it, from the project's music and asset records.
- A calendar shows upcoming end dates across all clients.
- At intervals you choose before an end date, the producer gets an alert listing the affected videos and the client contact.
- A draft email to the client explains which videos are affected, what the licence covered and the options: renew, replace the track or footage, or stop using the video.
- If the client chooses to replace, a re-edit job can be created with the affected deliverables listed.
- The client's decision is recorded with the date.
| Licensed item | Common time-limited terms |
|---|---|
| Commercial music | Term, territory, media |
| Production library music | Often perpetual, sometimes media-limited |
| Stock footage | Media or print run, sometimes term |
| Talent usage | Buyout period, media, territory |
| Fonts | Licence type, sometimes number of uses |
The alert that arrives in time
Two months before the track licence ends, the producer gets an alert: one advert, three cutdowns, client contact named. She sends the drafted email. The client says the video is still on their website and they plan to reuse it. They choose to replace the track. A small re-edit is scheduled and delivered before the end date.
Another client says the film is no longer used, and the decision is recorded. If they reactivate it later, the record shows they were told.
Talent usage works the same way. When an actor's buyout for online use is close to ending, the producer gets the same alert, and the client can choose whether to extend the usage or retire the film, instead of finding out from the actor's agent.
Do licences end without warning at your company?
- Nobody tracks licence end dates across projects.
- Clients reuse old films in new campaigns without asking.
- Stock and talent terms are not recorded alongside music.
- You have had a claim or takedown on an older film.
- Clients have asked why they were not warned.