IP transfer · Video
IP transfer in video: what is normal
In video, the client owns the final deliverable on payment; raw footage, project files, and stock licenses are separate line items.
Typical range
Client owns the final delivered edit on full payment. Raw footage, project files, and third-party asset licenses (music, stock, fonts) transfer only if purchased and only where sublicensing is permitted.
Off-market
"Client owns all footage, project files, and all underlying assets" with no mention of the third-party licenses the freelancer only rents, and transfer triggered on creation rather than payment.
One-line fix
"Client owns the final edit on full payment. Raw footage and project files are available for an additional fee. Third-party licenses (music, stock) are the client's responsibility to license for their use."
What we see
Video IP has a wrinkle the other disciplines mostly lack: much of what appears on screen is licensed, not owned, by the freelancer. Music, stock footage, fonts, and sound effects are typically rented under licenses that do not permit the freelancer to hand full ownership to the client. A blanket "client owns everything" clause promises rights the freelancer does not actually hold.
The healthy structure separates three things: the final edit (owned by the client on payment), the raw footage and project files (a separate, optional purchase), and third-party assets (licensed for the client's specific use, often by the client directly). Bundling all three into one transfer clause creates both an overpayment and a legal impossibility.
The transfer should also trigger on full payment, not on creation or delivery. A client who takes ownership of the edit before paying has little incentive to pay the balance, and the freelancer has handed over their only leverage. Payment first, ownership second, is the order that protects the work.
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