research, rights and clearances
Contact
Tel: 201-384-7715
Fax:
Email: info@globalimageworks.com

Rights & Clearances Process and Fees

There are three basic phases in the rights clearance process:

Phase I

Every project begins with a clearance consultation. We want to thoroughly understand the nature and scope of your project before we engage the third-party rights holders. In this consultation, we address the creative aspects of the project, the production schedule including benchmarks, deadlines and key business factors such as budget and required grant of rights.

Based on this consultation, Global ImageWorks will be able to define its assignment and become an effective member of the production team.

Phase II

Knowing who to contact is half the battle. In this step, for everything we're clearing, we research copyright ownership and/or confirm the information our client has provided is correct and complete.

Next, we submit a formal request to the rights owners and determine if the copyrighted material is available for your intended use. It is unusual for a request to be denied based on a copyright's availability, but it does happen.

Then we then negotiate the best possible licensing fees on your behalf and communicate these fees to you.

Phase III

After you confirm which elements you will be using and are agreeable to the fees we've negotiated on your behalf, our clearance team will secure license agreements from the rights owners. We will review these documents to confirm the accuracy of the major deal points.

The agreements will be in your name; however, we will traffic and oversee the execution and payments of all agreements. We advise that your attorney also review these documents.

Note: Global ImageWorks is an audio-visual research and rights clearance service. We are not a substitute for legal counsel. Decisions about what to clear and what may not require clearance should be made by an attorney. Global ImageWorks is happy to provide legal referrals upon request.

It is customary for us to remain on a project until all the agreements have been signed/paid and your clearance deliverables check list is complete.


Global ImageWorks Rights & Clearance Fees

How we charge is driven by the project we are servicing.

The most popular options are:

  • Flat fee per clearance
  • All-in project fee
  • Weekly or monthly retainer

The main factors in determining the GIW's Rights Clearance fee(s) are:

  • The nature/scope of our assignment
  • The number of clearances required
  • The type of clearances required
  • The grant of rights we need to secure
  • The production schedule
  • The project's budget

After a brief consultation, we'll be able to quickly figure out which fee structure will work best for your project.

To find out more about Global ImageWorks' Rights Clearance services, please contact Cathy Carapella at: Cathy@globalimageworks.com or give us a call at (914) 395-1952.

Practical Guide to Rights & Clearances