While Copyright License Agreements and Copyright Assignment Agreements are both used to allow a party to use the full protections of copyright law in respect to intellectual property they previously didn’t possess, there is one fundamental difference. Copyright License Agreements are used to simply license those rights and protections to the new party rather than transfer the legal ownership of the copyrights involved.

In this respect, Copyright License Agreements could be understood as a form of “lease” on a copyright rather than full transferal of the copyright’s ownership, though this is not literally true in a legal sense. A Copyright owner can receive financial payment and other consideration for their intellectual property through licensing agreements without having to give up full ownership of the copyright itself. Because the party acquiring the license gains access to the exclusivity and protections associated with copyright ownership, there is consideration for all parties involved.

As is the case for Copyright Assignment Agreements, there are a number of different types of contracts available for Copyright License Agreements. Because licensing different forms of intellectual property – including music, written work, video, etc. – will require vastly different licensing terms, a contract’s specificity in outlining the terms of the licensing agreement is particularly important in Copyright License Agreements. Additionally, exclusivity of the licensing agreement to one party is also an important clause that should be contained in the contracts you seek for these purposes.