Checking licence tracking for reused marketing assets

Before reusing an image, video, font or illustration, open its rights record and compare the licence or contract with the proposed use. Check the channel, territory, duration, any changes to the asset and required attribution before approving reuse.

Access to a file is not permission to publish it. A DAM or spreadsheet can help track the terms, but the licence or contract is what you check them against.

Record the terms that affect the next use

For each asset, record its identifier, source, creator or rights holder, and the exact licence or contract. Capture the permitted uses, media, territories, duration, expiry date, exclusivity window, modification rules, restrictions and attribution instructions that apply.

In Australia, copyright is governed by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), and protection is automatic; there is no national copyright registration system. Buying or holding the file does not necessarily transfer copyright, so check the agreement that grants permission to use it.

Keep the record connected to the correct asset when a file is renamed or exported. A register can be a spreadsheet; a simple spreadsheet can help prevent accidental conflicts.

For Creative Commons material, retain the exact licence label and version rather than recording only “Creative Commons”. The Council of Australasian University Librarians’ publishing workflow identifies CC BY 4.0; record that designation exactly when it is the licence attached to the asset.

Terms to record for each asset

Key Australian rights facts

Test reuse, not just storage

Choose an asset already used in a campaign and propose a different placement, such as a new market, paid advertisement or altered crop. Open its rights record and compare the proposed use with the actual licence or contract, including any limits on media, territory, duration or modification.

When evaluating a DAM, check whether the asset record exposes the licence or contract, permitted uses, territories, expiry dates, exclusivity windows, restrictions and attribution instructions. Confirm that a marketer can see the relevant terms before downloading or approving the asset.

Use a test record to check whether a colleague can identify the source document and match it to the asset. A licence entry that cannot be connected to the right file, or a file with no rights record, needs follow-up before reuse.

Assets can leave a DAM and be used elsewhere, making later uses harder to track. Record known placements and keep distribution responsibilities clear; do not treat storage in a DAM as a record of every use.

Test a reuse before you publish

Plan for expiry and withdrawal

Track expiry dates, exclusivity windows and restrictions against the agreement. Assign someone to review active placements before a time limit ends and decide whether to renew, replace or remove the asset.

If a rights issue emerges, identify likely live uses and stop further downloads while it is investigated. Keep a record of placements outside the DAM as well as those within it.

For a crop, translation or composite, identify the parent assets and check each relevant agreement for permission to make the intended change. Do not infer permission from the fact that editing software allowed the change.

Check attribution against the licence and record the creator’s required credit. Australian moral rights include the right to be attributed and not to have a work falsely attributed, so keep those checks with the release decision.

Plan for expiry and withdrawal

A release decision that a colleague can audit

For each approval, record the asset ID, proposed channel and territory, licence clause or rights record checked, required credit, expiry, decision maker and date. A colleague should be able to follow that entry to the relevant agreement and verify that its terms match the proposed use.

If ownership or permission is unclear, seek legal advice before release. The Australian Law Handbook notes that copyright law is complex; do not turn an unresolved term into an assumption.

Release decision record a colleague can audit