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School of Creators

Licensing in Practice: licences, claims and clearances

Education only. This course is not legal advice. Copyright law differs by country; the Canadian points here come from Canada's Copyright Act and official pages. Never rip or re-use a song without a licence. For your own situation, ask a licensed lawyer.

What you'll be able to do
  • Match a music licence to the job: a monetized video, a client project, an ad or a podcast.
  • Read a Creative Commons licence and follow its conditions.
  • Explain what it takes to clear a sample or a cover, and what to ask for.
  • Say what music rights groups do, in plain words (Canadian examples: SOCAN, Re:Sound and CMRRA), and find the ones in your country.
  • Handle a YouTube Content ID claim and a copyright notice calmly and in the right order.
  • Keep a paper trail that proves you are allowed to use every track.
Words in this course 48Open the Vocabulary Hall
01

Match the licence to the job

In simple words

A key opens one door, not every door. A licence is the same: it lets you do one thing, in some places, for some time. A key for your bedroom does not open the shop.

Before this course: Music & Copyright for Creators (course 4.7). You already know that copyright starts automatically (for example in Canada), that one song has a composition and a recording, what Content ID and strikes are, and that exceptions such as Canada's fair dealing are narrow.

Key facts
  • A licence says what you may do (use in video, in an ad, in a podcast), where (which platforms), for how long, and whether you must give credit. If something is not in the licence, assume you can't do it.
  • "Royalty-free" usually means you don't pay per use. It does not mean free, and it does not mean the terms are the same everywhere. YouTube says it isn't responsible for problems with "royalty-free" music from other channels or libraries, because some of them may not give you rights to use or monetize the music on YouTube.
  • Credit is not permission. YouTube's copyright FAQ says giving credit to the owner doesn't automatically give you the right to use their work. The exception is a licence that makes credit the condition, such as Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY).
  • "No infringement intended" or similar notes do not protect you from a claim.
  • Where you publish matters. Music built into an app (such as a short-video app) follows that app's terms. A track allowed there is not automatically allowed on another platform, in a client project or in an ad.
  • The job decides the question:
JobAsk first
Monetized YouTube videoDoes the licence allow monetized use on YouTube?
Client project or adDoes it allow commercial and paid-advertising use?
PodcastDoes it allow use in audio, and in a feed that is downloaded and shared?
Short-form video appDoes the app's own music terms cover business accounts?
  • The YouTube Audio Library is the one source YouTube describes as safe for use on YouTube: tracks downloaded there are not claimed through Content ID. YouTube can't give legal guidance on using those tracks off YouTube.
Step by step
  1. Write down your next three projects and where each will be published.
  2. For each, write the question from the table that matters most (monetized? paid ad? audio only?).
  3. Open the licence page of a track you might use. Find the lines about commercial use, platforms and credit.
  4. Write "yes", "no" or "not stated" for each. If "not stated", treat it as no, or ask the owner in writing.
  5. Choose a different track if you can't get a clear yes.
  6. Check: for each project you can point to the exact licence line that allows your use.
Watch on YouTube
What can you do about Content ID claims?YouTube Creators · YouTube · youtube.com

Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.

LESSON 01Match the licence to the job
LESSON 01 / ANIMATED LESSON / AI VOICE00:00 / 01:00
Read the video script
[Host holding a key] "A licence is a key. It opens one door, not every door."
[Text on screen: What · Where · How long · Credit?] "Every licence answers four things: what you can do, where, for how long, and whether you must give credit."
[Text on screen: Royalty-free ≠ free for every use] "Royalty-free doesn't mean free, and it doesn't mean it works everywhere."
[Text on screen: Credit ≠ permission] "And giving credit isn't permission. Only a licence that says so is."
[Host] "Before you use a track, check the job: monetized, paid ad, or audio only."
Try it now

Pick one track you'd like to use and fill in a licence check for it: the job, the platform, and the exact line in the licence that allows it (or "not stated").

ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude

Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.

For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.

I'm learning "Licensing in Practice: licences, claims and clearances" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Match the licence to the job".

What the lesson teaches:
- A licence says what you may do (use in video, in an ad, in a podcast), where (which platforms), for how long, and whether you must give credit. If something is not in the licence, assume you can't do it.
- "Royalty-free" usually means you don't pay per use. It does not mean free, and it does not mean the terms are the same everywhere. YouTube says it isn't responsible for problems with "royalty-free" music from other channels or libraries, because some of them may not give you rights to use or monetize the music on YouTube.
- Credit is not permission. YouTube's copyright FAQ says giving credit to the owner doesn't automatically give you the right to use their work. The exception is a licence that makes credit the condition, such as Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY).
- "No infringement intended" or similar notes do not protect you from a claim.
- Where you publish matters. Music built into an app (such as a short-video app) follows that app's terms. A track allowed there is not automatically allowed on another platform, in a client project or in an ad.
- The job decides the question:
- Job - Ask first

The exercise I'm working on:
Pick one track you'd like to use and fill in a licence check for it: the job, the platform, and the exact line in the licence that allows it (or "not stated").

I'm stuck. Please:
1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example.
2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step.
3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Match the licence to the job" from the course "Licensing in Practice: licences, claims and clearances".

Here's what the lesson says:
A key opens one door, not every door. A licence is the same: it lets you do one thing, in some places, for some time. A key for your bedroom does not open the shop.

The activity:
Pick one track you'd like to use and fill in a licence check for it: the job, the platform, and the exact line in the licence that allows it (or "not stated").

Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words.
Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Open Claude
Sources
My notes
02

Creative Commons licences, read properly

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

03

Samples, clips and covers

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

04

Music rights groups: who is who (with Canadian examples)

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

05

Handle a Content ID claim in practice

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

06

Removal requests, strikes and forwarded notices (with Canada's notice-and-notice)

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

07

Your clearance system and paper trail

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

++

Final project

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

??

Quiz

  1. Does giving credit to a song's owner give you permission to use it?

  2. Does "royalty-free" mean free for every use?

  3. What does BY mean in a Creative Commons licence?

  4. Why are NonCommercial tracks risky for a monetized channel?

  5. What does copyright law generally say about reproducing part of a work?

  6. Which two sets of rights usually apply to a sample?

  7. What can a music licensing agency do for artists who covered a song?

  8. Whom do music collecting societies collect for?

  9. Which Studio actions can remove claimed music?

  10. When should you use Dispute the claim?

  11. Should a copyright notice make you pay money straight away?

  12. Why might a platform keep records after receiving a notice?

EX

Final exam

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

CE

Certificate

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.