Provenance · 04 of 04
State the terms of reuse
Make it clear what others may do with the material you release.
The idea
If you intend others to reuse a resource, choose terms that match that intention and the rights you hold.
Different licences permit different uses. Read the actual licence and link to it rather than relying on a phrase such as free to use.
Separate your own material from third-party assets with their own terms. A licence on the project does not automatically cover everything included in it. For client deliverables, document the agreed rights and handover scope in the appropriate agreement. Keep those details consistent with any public release.
How to see it
Terms used in this lesson
The parts
- Licence
- Terms granting specified permissions to use material.
- Scope
- The material and rights covered by those terms.
- Third-party asset
- Material supplied by another rights holder that may have separate terms.
In practice
- Link to the applicable licence
- Identify separately licensed assets
- Document the scope of the release
Avoid
- Vague permission statements
- Licensing rights you do not hold
- Assuming a project licence covers every included asset
The test
Can someone identify which licence applies to the file, what it covers and where any separate asset terms are recorded?
Reviewed against all forty, on your product.
The audit is the cheapest thing we sell, and it regularly concludes that you do not need the project you came for.