How to make licensing work for you, unlocking opportunities for both artists and clients
Whether you’re an artist making your work available for projects, or a client in search of an image, there are simple steps you can take to make licensing work for you.
Licensing is more than just a formality - it’s the legal clearance that allows the reproduction of an artist’s work. In most cases, copyright rests with the artist, which means permission is required before a work can be used in any form. A licence not only protects against potential copyright issues, but also ensures that artists are fairly compensated for their creations.
What is licensing?
A licence is an agreement that gives permission for a copyright-protected work to be reproduced in a particular way. This agreement may be made directly with the artist, their estate, or another copyright holder. It sets out how the work can be used, for how long, and under what conditions - and usually involves a fee.
Licensing for artists
Licensing isn’t only about protection - it’s also about opportunity. By making your work available for licensing, you open the door to earning through your work, wider visibility and creative collaborations. Through DACS Licensing service, artists can rely on us to handle the negotiations, set up the agreements and ensure that their rights are respected.
Our licensing principles protect the integrity of your work - ensuring faithful colour reproduction, accurate crediting, and preventing unauthorised manipulation or cropping. With over 90,000 artists represented, we help ensure that creativity is valued and fairly rewarded.
Tips:
- To make licensing work best for you, always put a written agreement in place.
- Be wary of licensing your work ‘in perpetuity’ – this means forever, or on an ‘exclusive basis’ – this would disallow anyone else, even yourself, from sharing, reproducing or distributing it.
Or join DACS Licensing service. DACS streamlines the set-up of licensing agreements, and represents over 90,000 artists. We're often a picture editor’s first thought when they need artistic copyright clearance. We handle the negotiations and licensing agreement process, protect artists’ rights, and collect royalties for artists.
Licensing for clients
Artists’ work can be used in a variety of ways, showing just what’s possible with licensing. If you’re looking to use an artwork in a book, on a film set, for merchandise, or in an exhibition, licensing ensures that you do so legally, fairly and with the artist’s consent. At DACS, we make the process straightforward: liaising directly with artists, estates, and copyright holders, and setting up agreements that clearly detail permitted uses and rates.
Tips:
- To speed things up, it helps to be specific from the outset.
- By starting early and sharing full details of your project, you’ll improve your chances of fast approval and keep your deadlines on track.
- Let us know what you want to use the work for, where it will appear, and the scale of distribution.
- Bear in mind some artists may also ask to review a layout, printer’s proof, or sample before granting permission. Talk to our team for more information.
Most requests can be cleared within 10 working days, though some take longer if the artist or estate needs to be consulted. The more detail you provide upfront, the smoother the process - and the sooner you’ll have the licensed image you need.
Why it’s important
Licensing benefits everyone. For artists, it’s a way to protect and earn from their creativity. For clients, it’s the assurance that the work you’re using is cleared, credited, and respected. By working with DACS and planning ahead, licensing becomes less of a hurdle and more of an opportunity - for both sides.
