Intellectual Property Law · European Union
License Your Copyright on Terms That Actually Pay You
Licensing is how creative work becomes income — but a vague agreement can hand away more rights than you intended. We match you, free of charge, with a copyright lawyer who drafts and negotiates licences for creators and publishers across Europe every day.
- Licence drafting & negotiation
- Royalties, exclusivity & territory
- No fee to get matched
No commitment. No hidden fees.
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Tell us about your situation and receive a free, confidential case review.
Who this is for
A licence is how you keep control of your work while letting others use it — and get paid for it
Copyright licensing is the legal mechanism that lets you authorise someone else to use your work — a publisher reproducing your writing, a client using your photographs, a company integrating your software, or a distributor selling your music — while you keep ownership of the underlying rights. Done well, it turns a single piece of work into a recurring source of revenue across multiple licensees and territories. Done poorly, it can grant broader rights, longer terms or wider territory than you ever meant to give away, and the money quietly follows. Every licence answers the same questions: who may use the work, for what purpose, in which countries, for how long, on what exclusivity, and for what payment. We match you with a copyright licensing lawyer who can structure those terms in your favour and negotiate them with confidence, so your work is used on your terms.
Why licences go wrong
Most licensing problems are not disputes about copying.
They are contracts that gave away more than intended.
A casual email or a vague clause can hand a client rights you never meant to transfer — and unwinding it later is difficult.
Rights granted too broadly
Words like ‘all media’ or ‘worldwide’ quietly extend a licence far beyond the original deal. Without precise definitions of scope, territory and purpose, a client may claim the right to reuse your work in ways you never agreed to.
No clear payment or royalties
A flat fee with no royalty, or a royalty with no audit right, leaves money on the table. Vague payment terms make it hard to know what you are owed, and harder still to collect it when a licensee under-reports.
No exit or reversion terms
What happens when the licensee stops paying, goes quiet, or the agreement ends? Without termination and reversion clauses, your work can remain tied up indefinitely, and recovering full control becomes a legal battle.
What you get
A copyright licensing lawyer who writes terms that protect you
We only match you with lawyers who draft and negotiate licences for creators, publishers and rights-holders in your sector.
Precise scope & territory
Your lawyer defines exactly what is licensed — the specific rights, media, languages and countries — so the licensee gets what they paid for and nothing more, and your own uses remain untouched.
Fair payment terms
Get clear royalties, advances, minimum guarantees and audit rights written into the agreement, so what you are owed is unambiguous and you have the tools to verify it.
Exclusivity & term control
Your lawyer advises when exclusivity is worth granting, for how long, and under what conditions, and builds in sensible renewal, termination and reversion provisions that return rights to you.
Negotiation support
Whether you are licensing in or licensing out, your lawyer reviews the counterparty’s draft, flags the hidden risks and negotiates the changes that matter, so you sign with your eyes open.
Coverage
Copyright licensing lawyers across Europe
Licensing practice and the underlying copyright rules differ across European jurisdictions, so the right lawyer is one who works in the governing law and territory of your agreement. We match clients in the following countries and beyond:
Frequently asked
Copyright licensing — common questions
What is the difference between a licence and an assignment?
A licence grants permission to use the work while you keep ownership, usually for a defined scope, term and territory. An assignment transfers ownership of the rights themselves, often permanently. The distinction is fundamental, so it is important to be clear which one any agreement is creating.
What should a licensing agreement always cover?
A well-drafted licence should cover at least the exact rights granted, the purpose, territory and duration, exclusivity or non-exclusivity, payment and royalty terms, credit and moral rights, warranties, and what happens on termination. Missing any of these leaves room for later disagreement.
Can I license the same work to several people at once?
Yes, if your licences are non-exclusive you can grant the same rights to multiple licensees simultaneously, which is common for stock photography, music and software. If you grant exclusivity, you are generally promising not to license those same rights to anyone else, so the terms matter greatly.
What is a royalty and how is it usually calculated?
A royalty is a payment tied to the use or sales of the work — often a percentage of revenue or a per-unit fee — paid in addition to or instead of an upfront amount. The base, rate and frequency of calculation should be defined precisely, and an audit right helps you verify the licensee’s reports.
Can I get my rights back if the licensee stops using the work?
This depends on the agreement. A reversion or ‘use it or lose it’ clause can return unused rights to you after a set period, and termination clauses let you end the licence for breach or non-payment. Without these, recovering your rights can be much harder, so they are worth negotiating upfront.
Do I need a lawyer to license my work?
Not always, but it is strongly recommended for anything beyond a simple, low-value permission. A lawyer helps you define the scope correctly, avoid granting more than you intend, and spot one-sided clauses — the cost of a review is usually far less than the value of the rights at stake.
Free case review
A few well-chosen clauses can be worth more than the fee
Tell us what you create and who wants to use it, and we will connect you with a copyright licensing lawyer who handles your kind of agreement every day — free of charge, with no obligation to hire.