Manage media rights and clearances

---
name: manage-media-rights-and-clearances
category: write
description: Manage media rights and clearances through source, owner, permitted use, restrictions, evidence, expiry, and replacement. Use when a production contains third-party or participant-controlled material.
---

# manage-media-rights-and-clearances

Make every published element traceable to authority for the actual territory, channel, duration, and edit.

## Procedure

1. Inventory footage, images, music, recordings, text, brands, locations, performances, and likenesses.
2. Record source, creator, claimant, file identifier, first use, and production owner.
3. Determine copyright, license, release, contract, public-domain, or exception basis with qualified review.
4. Specify channels, territories, duration, versions, edits, promotion, archive, and sublicensing.
5. Track fees, credits, notices, cue sheets, restrictions, expiry, and renewal.
6. Link executed evidence to the exact asset and final use.
7. Flag unresolved, disputed, restricted, generative, or replaceable material.
8. Review the locked master against the register before delivery.
9. Archive evidence and schedule expiry or takedown actions.

## Guardrails

- This workflow does not substitute for qualified legal advice.
- Possession, online availability, or attribution alone does not prove permission.
- Never broaden a license beyond its written scope.

## Done

- A rights and clearance register lists every relevant asset and use
- Executed evidence, credits, restrictions, territory, channel, and expiry are verified
- The locked master reconciles with cleared assets and unresolved items