How Can I Use Licensing to Grow My Business?

Licensing is simply giving another person or business the right to use your property with certain conditions for a fee. In the online space, this is usually copyright-protected works (like photos, videos or an online course or membership) or trademarks (like a brand logo).

If you are a creator of content, learning about content will help you understand how to protect your content but also what rights to offer in order to scale and grow.

If you want to use other people's content or brand, learning about licensing will help you understand what to look for in a licensing relationship.

I get many questions about licensing from physical product creators as well (like crafters and makers) who want to give some limited rights to their creations to other people or businesses to use for a fee.

When you listen to your new favourite tune on Spotify or Apple Music, you are using the music pursuant to certain licensing terms. Same when you purchase a stock photo or make an image on Canva.

Like most legal agreements, it is important to get the key licensing terms in writing between the parties so that (1) you will be on the same page and (2) you can legally enforce the terms if necessary.

Some of the key licensing terms in a licensing agreement are Authorized Users, Permitted Uses, Territory, Exclusivity, End Users, Commercial Use and Licensing Fees.

Authorized Users helps to define who can access and use the content. Permitted Uses (and what is not permitted) is very important because it helps your control what the Licensee can do with the content (download, print, copy, store) and what they can't do (reproduce, sell).

If you are a digital product creator, licensing your creations is a great way to grow and scale your business. A college or a business comes to you and wants to deliver your course as part of their training program - great! This type of license will be a bit different than a single-use license.

If you are a crafter or artisan, you may wonder if you need an Angel Policy and how to make one for your products.

I have created a brand new Licensing Workshop to answer all these questions and more. The workshop ran live on April 29, 2021 and a recording is available.

If you want a deeper dive into all things Licensing, include a Licensing Agreement checklist, legal template and a copy of the workshop recording, you can still sign up.