LicenseStream, the content-licensing service touted by California tech-company ImageSpan since last fall, is now generally available. Offering individual and enterprise-scale options, LicenseStream wants to speed up and simplify licensing digital media, as well as eliminate 90% of the costs.
The service is offered on a subscription basis. Annual fees range from $39 to $99, depending on account type. In addition, the service charges a commission of 5% to 10% on each transaction; pro accounts, which warrant higher fees, pay a lower commission percentage.
Users can post their material to a personal LicenseStream gallery or their existing Web sites. LicenseStream can also be seamlessly embedded into a branded site as a white-label managed service. Individuals can access the service via plug-ins for Adobe products, including Photoshop Lightroom, Creative Suite and Flash. ImageSpan is an Adobe Solution Partner, as well as a charter Leadership Circle member of the Picture Licensing Universal System Coalition.
The PLUS Coalition is a neutral, collaborative nonprofit that has been working on a global system that defines image-licensing language and provides a foundation for building and managing license data. According to Jeff Sedlik, PLUS Coalition president and CEO, ImageSpan has developed the technology that powers several PLUS applications.
The Coalition contracted ImageSpan to create the PLUS Web-based standards review system, which allowed thousands of professionals to review and comment on proposals. "ImageSpan's work on [this system] enabled PLUS to achieve its very ambitious goal of completing development and approval of the Picture Licensing Glossary standard in our first year, followed by the development and approval of the Media Matrix, License Data Format, and PLUS Packs standard in our second year," said Sedlik.
Subsequently, the Coalition hired ImageSpan to develop the license generator, an online tool used by licensors to create a license statement that can be embedded in a digital image file, an a supporting reader and embedder widget. While officially in beta testing, these technologies are free and available for use or download on the PLUS Web site. Sedlik said that ImageSpan demonstrated significant expertise in developing PLUS applications and has since become the Coalition's exclusive service provider in developing the forthcoming PLUS License Registry.
Owned and operated by PLUS, the registry is an optional component of the PLUS system that, according to Sedlik, will enable all parties to reach a precise mutual understanding of the rights licensed and simplify the process of managing image licenses.
ImageSpan's LicenseStream service uses the PLUS system. Though the PLUS Coalition is not involved in any licensing transactions, Sedlik said the organization is pleased with ImageSpan's adoption of PLUS standards.
The main goal of ImageSpan's LicenseStream service is to provide transactional support to the licensing process. The platform's interface caters to both professional and hobbyist authors and lets them register and license digital content, manage royalties, issue invoices and collect fees. The system is detailed and accounts for a number of licensing-transaction scenarios; for example, LicenseStream enables the assignment and distribution of revenues to multiple parties, in cases of multi-owner content.
The service promises to eliminate negotiations by offering pricing benchmarks and to cut out the middlemen, such as licensing agents and artists' reps.