Likeness Licensing
Likeness licensing is the agreement that lets a brand use a specific person's identity in commercial creative. A good license is narrow on purpose: it spells out the exact talent, the brand and product categories it covers, the platforms and placements it runs on, the territory, and how long the rights last.
The reason scope matters is that a license is not a transfer of ownership — the talent still controls their identity. They're granting a bounded, time-limited permission for a defined use. Anything outside that boundary isn't covered, which protects both sides and keeps the relationship clean for renewals.
Unreal handles licensing as the first step, not a paperwork afterthought. Before a campaign is briefed, the grant is in place and the usage rights are written down — so the deliverable you receive comes with clarity about exactly where and how long it can run.
- A license defines talent, brand, categories, channels, territory, and term.
- It's a bounded permission — not a transfer of the person's identity.
- Out-of-scope uses require a new or expanded grant.
- Up-front licensing means the deliverable ships with clear usage rights.
- What does a likeness license actually cover?
- Typically: the named talent, the licensed brand and categories, the channels and placements, the territory, and the duration. Unreal documents each of these so the cleared usage is unambiguous.
- Can we extend or renew a license later?
- Yes — usage can be extended or expanded by agreement with the talent. Because the original grant is scoped and documented, renewals are straightforward.
- Who owns the final creative?
- Usage terms are defined per campaign in your agreement. The key point is that the talent licenses their likeness for the defined use rather than signing it away permanently.
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