Data licensing guide
Data licensing guide

Questions to ask before you license your company data

By Ade Molajo · Updated · How we check figures

Quick answer

Before you sign, ask about ten things: how long the licence runs, what models trained on your data can be used for, exclusivity, resale or onward transfer, retention and deletion, security, how data is de-identified and to what standard, what samples are shared before signing, what triggers payment, and what happens if either side ends the deal. Get the answers in the contract.

10
questions to ask
In writing
answers belong in the contract
Exclusivity
can change the price
Deletion
ask when, and how you know

Programmes publish ranges and processes, but the contract decides what actually happens to your data. These are the questions to ask before you sign.

Ten questions to ask a data programme before signing: term, use, exclusivity, resale, retention and deletion, security, de-identification, samples, payment milestones, and what happens if the deal ends.Ask before you signTerm: how long does the licence run?Use: what can models trained on our data be used for?Exclusivity: can we license to others too?Resale: can the data be passed on, and when?Retention and deletion: when is it deleted?Security: where is it held, and who can access it?De-identification: what method, to what standard?Samples: what do you see before we sign?Payment: what milestones trigger payment?Exit: what happens if either side ends it?TrackImpact · trackimpact.io/data-licensing
Print it, or copy it into your own list.

01Why each one matters

  • Term and use. A licence for training one model is different from a licence to build commercial products indefinitely.
  • Exclusivity. Exclusive terms can lift the price (Mercor's software listing says so) but stop you licensing elsewhere.
  • Resale and onward transfer. micro1 says it won't resell or distribute data until personal information is anonymised; Mode provides its filtered copy for AI research and training under the agreement's rights and restrictions. Get the specifics in writing.
  • Retention and deletion. Ask when data is deleted and how you'll be told.
  • De-identification. Whose job is it, by what method, and to what standard?
  • Payment. What exactly triggers payment: transfer, approval, delivery?

02Licence or sale?

Licensing versus selling outright: under a licence you keep ownership and grant agreed use of an agreed copy; in an outright sale the rights pass to the buyer. Most AI data programmes license.LicenceOutright saleOwnershipYou keep itPasses to the buyerWhat changes handsPermission to use an agreed copy, foragreed purposesThe data and the rights in itWhat to readUse, exclusivity, term, resale,deletionEverything: you can’t take it back
Most programmes license. The licence terms matter more than the word “sell”.

Most programmes license rather than buy outright, so you keep ownership. See the key terms of a data licence. This isn't legal advice.

03Check whether you're likely to match

Our free fit check asks about your size, location, records and tools, then shows which programmes you're likely to match. The programme decides.

04Questions people ask

What should I ask an AI data buyer?

Term, use, exclusivity, resale, retention and deletion, security, de-identification, samples, payment milestones and exit. The checklist on this page covers all ten.

Can I negotiate the terms?

Usually, yes. Scope, exclusivity and deletion are commonly agreed per deal. Have your own lawyer review the licence.

Sources

Check which programmes you’re likely to matchA few short questions, about a minute. Free, no sign-up. The programme decides who qualifies.trackimpact.io/data →