Legal Definitions - blanket license

A blanket license is a legal agreement that grants permission to use a broad collection of intellectual property, such as music, images, or software, without requiring individual permission for each specific item or instance of use. Instead of negotiating separate licenses for every single piece of content, the licensee pays a fee—often a flat rate or a rate based on usage metrics—to gain access to an entire catalog or library for a defined period. This type of license simplifies the process for both the creator (licensor) and the user (licensee) by consolidating many potential individual licenses into one comprehensive agreement.

Here are a few examples to illustrate how a blanket license works:

• Music for a Radio Station: Imagine a local radio station that plays a wide variety of popular music throughout the day. Instead of contacting the record label or artist for every single song they broadcast, the station obtains a blanket license from a performing rights organization (like ASCAP or BMI in the United States). This single license allows the station to play any song within that organization's vast catalog for a set fee, simplifying the legal process and ensuring artists are compensated without requiring individual negotiations for each track.

• Stock Photography for a Marketing Agency: A digital marketing agency frequently creates campaigns for numerous clients, requiring a constant supply of diverse images and video clips. Rather than purchasing individual licenses for each photo or video needed for every client project, the agency subscribes to a stock media platform that offers a blanket license. This agreement allows the agency's designers to download and use any asset from the platform's extensive library for any of their client projects, within the terms of their subscription, without incurring per-item fees.

• Software Library for a University: A large university needs to provide its thousands of students and faculty members with access to a comprehensive suite of specialized software tools for various academic disciplines. Instead of buying individual licenses for each student or for each specific software application, the university secures a blanket license with the software vendor. This single agreement grants all registered students and faculty unlimited access to all the software applications within the vendor's educational catalog for an annual fee, streamlining software distribution and management across the institution.