digital assets, copyrights and licences

WHAT IS IP / COPYRIGHT?

Intellectual Property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, symbols, names, and images used in commerce. It is a legal concept that grants creators certain exclusive rights to their creations, allowing them to control and benefit from their use. IP is essential in protecting innovations, encouraging creativity, and fostering economic growth.

Copyright is a specific type of intellectual property that protects original works of authorship, including written content, music, films, artwork, and digital designs. Copyright gives the creator the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, and create derivative works from their original piece. These rights typically last for the creator’s lifetime, plus a set number of years (e.g., 70 years in many jurisdictions). Copyright helps prevent others from using or reproducing a creator’s work without permission.

Licenses

When purchasing or using digital assets, it’s crucial to know what rights come with those assets. These rights are often governed by different types of licenses, which specify how the asset can be used. it should also be noted that if you do not purchase a licence in any form – then you are infringing the IP rights / breaking the law!

Not all digital assets or copyright is available for licence – so please check with the originator.  For example you may buy an art print – that does not give you the right to copy it.. just hang it on your wall and enjoy someone elses creativity.

There are generally 3 types of licences:

1. Single/Personal Use License:

   • What It Means: This license allows you to use a digital asset (e.g., graphic, template, or e-book) for your personal or individual purposes. You can’t sell, distribute, or share the asset with others.
   • Typical Use Cases: Creating a personal project, using a design on your own website, or producing materials for non-commercial use.
   • Restrictions: You cannot resell, redistribute, or make modifications for commercial purposes.

2. Private Label Rights (PLR):

   • What It Means: With PLR, you are granted broader rights to modify the digital asset and claim it as your own work. You can edit, rebrand, and sell it under your own name or business.
   • Typical Use Cases: PLR is commonly used in e-books, articles, or digital courses where buyers can rebrand and distribute the content as their own.
   • Restrictions: PLR content may still come with certain limitations (e.g., you may not be able to sell the PLR content to other marketers or give it away for free), depending on the provider.

3. Master Resell Rights (MRR):

   • What It Means: MRR allows you to sell the digital asset to others and grant them the rights to resell it as well. However, you usually can’t modify the asset itself, and you must keep it as-is when distributing or reselling.
   • Typical Use Cases: Selling pre-made products like software, e-books, or templates, where the end user can resell the item to others, continuing the cycle.
   • Restrictions: You cannot claim authorship or modify the asset. The key advantage is that you can profit by reselling the asset and granting resale rights to others.

Key Differences:

• Single/Personal Use: Limited to your own non-commercial projects, no reselling or redistribution.
• PLR: Full control to edit, rebrand, and sell as your own, but usually with restrictions on further distribution.
• MRR: You can sell the asset and give reselling rights to others, but without making changes to the original content.

What it is important to know is that this is not an all encompassing view of IP which is a very complex law. It is simply an overview of what digital assets are and the types of licenses and limitations that you have as a consumer / customer 

Related Articles

RELATED