How do I check a video production company’s music and stock footage licences?

Licences are paperwork that few studios keep tidy, so test it. Choose a dozen delivered projects, a mix of old and recent, and ask for the track and clip details used in each. Then ask for the licence document that matches. Anything without a clear match is a question for the seller.

Read the scope. Some licences cover a single project, others a single use such as online only or broadcast. Ask whether videos were later cut down, reused or repurposed for different channels. If a client paid for advertising use and the licence covers less, the problem could come back to the new owner.

Look at accounts. Stock subscriptions and music libraries are often held in an editor’s personal name or on a card that is not the company’s. Ask who holds the logins and whether they transfer. Also check what the studio tells clients. Do proposals state what rights are included? Ask how expiring licences are tracked. Your lawyer is the person to say what the documents mean for you. Ask the seller to sort out any gaps before closing, or to say who bears the risk afterwards.

Key takeaways

• Sample delivered videos and match each to the music and stock licence used.
• Read each licence’s scope against how the client actually used the video.
• Find out whose name the library accounts and logins are under.
• Ask how expiring licences are tracked and what clients were told.