Streaming Media License Examples

Due to the distinctive nature of streaming media formats, their licensing terms may include specialized parameters for content access and rights management. These terms can vary based on the priorities of both vendors and educational institutions involved in a negotiation. The sample licenses below showcase a wide range of vendors and platforms, from documentary and film distributors like DocuSeek2 and Swank Motion Pictures to academic content providers such as Kanopy, Alexander Street Press, and Naxos. These examples offer libraries and consortia valuable insight into how streaming media licenses differ from traditional e-resource licenses and may be adopted or adapted to meet local needs.

🌐 📜 California Digital Library (CDL) Licenses

• Not to be confused with the CDL of controlled digital lending, the California Digital Library publicly shares redacted license agreements to promote broader contract transparency. This collection of licenses includes streaming media and other forms of digital content. 

📜 CDL Kanopy License - 2023

• Kanopy is a streaming media platform owned by OverDrive mainly in use by academic and public libraries. 

📜 CDL Comprehensive ProQuest License - 2014 

• A comprehensive collection of ProQuest licensed materials, including a number of video collections.

📜 Alexander Street Press (ASP) Sample License - 2015

• Alexander Street is an academic database publisher and prominent provider of streaming media for academic institutions across a number of diverse disciplines. Note that this is an older version of their license prior to the company’s acquisition by ProQuest. 

📜 CDL Alexander Street Press Addendum - 2013

• A brief addendum to CDL’s existing license with brief descriptions noting additional collections.

📜 CDL Naxos License Agreement - 2006

• Naxos provides streaming services and databases specializing in classical music. Though this license is older, it can be used to compare with more recent licenses to understand how contract language has evolved with the growth of digital hosting mechanisms and platforms. 

📜 AMIGOS Naxos Service Agreement - 2016

• A more recent digital services agreement from Naxos.

📜 Swank Motion Pictures, Inc. - 2021

• Swank is a film distribution company for a number of prominent and indie film studios and focuses on licensing and distribution for non-theatrical public performance. Their Digital Campus collection is targeted towards academic libraries. 

🌐 Docuseek2 Digital Rights License Agreement

• DocuSeek curates and licenses collections of documentaries from K-12 to higher education institutions. The DocuSeek2 collection contains over 1800+ documentaries focused on contemporary social issues across a number of disciplines.