What is a key difference between stock photography licenses and commissioned work licenses?

• A. Stock licenses are non-exclusive broad usage across media; commissioned rights are negotiated with the client including exclusivity, duration, geography, and media; always document usage rights.
• B. Stock licenses are exclusive worldwide for all media.
• C. Stock licenses require attribution.
• D. Commissioned work requires no rights documentation.

Answer: (A)

Licenses define how an image can be used, and the way rights are set up differs between stock photography and commissioned work. Stock photography licenses provide a standard, non-exclusive grant that covers broad usage across media. The terms are set by the stock agency and typically allow many buyers to use the same image under a common rule set, often worldwide and across multiple media, for a defined duration and with specified restrictions.

In contrast, rights for commissioned work are created through a contract with the client and are tailored to that project. The photographer and client negotiate specifics such as whether the license is exclusive or non-exclusive, how long the rights last, where the image can be used (geography), and which media channels are included. Because these rights are project-specific, they must be clearly documented in writing to avoid ambiguity.

So the key difference is the scope and customization: stock licenses offer broad, non-exclusive usage under standard terms, while commissioned rights are negotiated to fit the client’s exact needs, including exclusivity, duration, geography, and media, with formal documentation required.