Glossary
AI training licence
A written agreement granting the right to use specified material to train, fine-tune, or evaluate AI models. It defines which uses are permitted, for which models, on what terms — and is distinct from a licence to publish or distribute the content.
Core clauses: the permitted uses (training, fine-tuning, evaluation), which models and modalities are covered, exclusivity, term, territory, sublicensing, payment, warranties, and what happens to trained models when the agreement ends. Publicly reported deals between media companies and AI labs follow this shape. A standard publishing or distribution licence does not clearly cover training, which is why training is named expressly.
Why it matters
Every term in the licence — exclusivity, duration, derivative rights — moves the price and the risk.