# Rights and Clearance Framework This document is an organizational checklist, not legal advice and not evidence that an asset is cleared. **Standing rule:** Label fiction. Verify authorization. Respect creators. Never confuse availability with permission. ## Rights layers | Layer | Question | Evidence required before commercial release | |---|---|---| | Source story | Who owns or controls the treatment, screenplay and underlying archive? | Dated drafts, assignments/licenses and contributor agreements | | Composition | Who wrote the melody and lyrics? | Split sheet, publisher data and synchronization license | | Sound recording | Who owns the recorded performance? | Master ownership record and master-use license | | Samples/stems | Does the file contain another recording? | Written sample/master and composition clearances | | Performer | Who sang, played, acted or supplied a voice? | Performer release and compensation/AI-use terms | | Production | Who created the beat, session, image, edit or arrangement? | Producer/crew agreement and royalty, fee or assignment terms | | Name/likeness | Does use identify a person or imply participation or endorsement? | Written permission when required; non-misleading presentation | | Artwork/photography/footage | Who owns the asset? | License, assignment or original-creation record | | Trademark | Are names, logos, tour marks or trade dress used? | Clearance analysis and any required license | | Platform/AI | What contractual rights govern inputs and outputs? | Terms version, account tier, creation date, inputs and permitted-use record | | Distribution | Can the complete work be monetized and delivered? | Chain of title, E&O review, licenses, metadata, territory, media and term | ## Public-story risk review Before releasing a named-person version of the hacker-and-rapper story, review copyright, trademark, right of publicity/name and likeness, false endorsement, privacy, defamation/false light, contract/platform rules and E&O requirements. “Publicly available,” “fan work,” “fictionalized,” “inspired by” and “fair use” are not interchangeable with permission. No draft may claim hacking, private access, private communications, criminal conduct, endorsement or participation by a real person without reliable evidence and legal review. ## Music clearance rule A released recording normally presents two separate rights: 1. the **composition**, generally cleared through the songwriter/publisher with a synchronization license; and 2. the **master recording**, generally cleared through the label or other master owner with a master-use license. Match both licenses across media, territory and term. Confirm trailer, advertising, social, soundtrack-album and other promotional uses separately. The project's effective permission is limited to the narrower intersection of the two grants. Applying a Creative Commons license to a mashup does not grant permission over third-party compositions or sound recordings. Until every required owner authorizes the use, mashups are research references and are not distributed through this repository. ## Proof-of-concept excerpt rule The proof-of-concept may propose brief excerpts from publicly available material only when each excerpt performs a specific critical or analytical function. The editor must log the source, exact in/out points, duration, claim supported, transformative purpose, amount used, audio treatment and alternatives considered. The prototype must not use a complete song, a music-video sequence for atmosphere alone, an excerpt longer than the analytical purpose requires, or editing that suggests participation or endorsement. Source audio is muted by default; retain only the minimum words or sound necessary to analyze the source itself. The persistent notice is: > UNOFFICIAL NONCOMMERCIAL RESEARCH PROOF OF CONCEPT — LIMITED EXCERPTS USED FOR COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS — NOT AFFILIATED WITH OR ENDORSED BY G-EAZY OR THE ENDLESS SUMMER TOUR — RIGHTS AND FAIR-USE REVIEW REQUIRED BEFORE RELEASE See `FAIR-USE-PROOF-OF-CONCEPT.md`. Fair use is a fact-specific legal doctrine, not a clearance status or permission created by a label. ## AI-assisted production rule AI tools may be used for development only when: - inputs are original, public-domain or authorized; - applicable terms and the account tier permit the intended use; - prompts do not request a living artist's identity, recognizable voice or misleading impersonation; - human-authored decisions, drafts, selection, arrangement and revisions are preserved; - performers consent expressly to any digital replica or AI processing of their performance; and - AI-generated or AI-assisted material is accurately disclosed. Contractual permission to use output is distinct from copyrightability. Preserve a chain-of-title record for human-authored elements and tool-license evidence for AI-assisted elements. ## Revenue is not rights A [project receipts waterfall](WATERFALL.md) governs only money contractually received by the production. It does not grant underlying rights. Conversely, a license or clearance does not automatically grant a backend share. Rights, fees, royalties, recoupment and contingent participation must each be stated in the proper signed agreement. ## Repository licenses - No license is granted to third-party music, lyrics, names, likenesses, marks, posts, photographs, footage or artwork. - Original repository code is offered under the MIT License in `LICENSE-CODE`. - Original narrative documentation remains all rights reserved unless an individual file expressly says otherwise. - Audio files are excluded. Each recording requires its own written status. ## Lex Nova / Thoolie resources The [Lex Nova Lawyer hub](https://linktr.ee/lexnovalawyer) describes its purpose as entertainment-law education and expressly states that it is educational, not legal advice. The linked Thoolie resources informed the repository's checklists for: - [film revenue waterfalls](https://thoolie.com/guides/how-film-revenue-waterfalls-work/); - [music clearance](https://thoolie.com/creator_resource/music-clearance-independent-filmmakers/); and - [AI-film chain of title](https://thoolie.com/2026/07/01/ai-generated-film-copyright-chain-of-title). A template becomes useful only after it is correctly completed, negotiated and signed. These links do not create an attorney-client relationship, provide a clearance or imply Lex Nova/Thoolie endorsement. For a commercial release, obtain advice from qualified counsel familiar with the jurisdictions, parties and source files.