Licensing Process
Understanding the Licensing Process
Licensing biblical content within the Digital Bible Library (DBL) ensures that translations are shared efficiently while maintaining clear contribution and access rights. This process balances the needs of content contributors and distributors by streamlining agreement creation, approval, and management. Understanding how agreements are initiated, approved, monitored, and renewed helps organizations navigate licensing effectively.
For an overview of License Agreements, their lifecycles, and links to specific how-to articles in the licensing process, please see Agreement Lifecycles.
Initiating a Licensing Agreement
The licensing process begins when a Content Contributor creates an agreement to grant access to a distributor. Every agreement must specify key details, including the content being shared, the terms of use, and the duration of the agreement.
Before drafting an agreement, the Contributor must determine whether the content will be shared under Open Access or Controlled Access licensing. Once the licensing model is chosen, the Contributor organization drafts the agreement by selecting a pre-approved template that includes standard terms. Templates streamline the process by ensuring consistency and compliance with DBL policies. After filling in the required details, the agreement enters the review and approval phase.
Review and Approval Phase
After an agreement is drafted, the distributor organization reviews its terms. At this stage, the distributor can approve the agreement as written, request modifications, or deny it altogether. If modifications are needed, the agreement is sent back to the Contributor organization for revision.
Once both parties approve the final version of the agreement, it transitions to Active status, and the distributor gains access to the licensed content under the agreed-upon terms.
Managing Active Agreements
Once an agreement is active, it requires ongoing monitoring to ensure compliance with its terms. License managers play a crucial role in tracking expiration dates, reviewing terms as needed, and ensuring that agreements remain up to date.
To facilitate efficient management, DBL provides a Manage Agreements section, where organizations can view all active, expiring, and expired agreements. Filters and sorting tools allow license managers to track agreements based on their status and take necessary actions before an expiry date approaches.
Automated notifications help keep organizations informed of important licensing milestones. DBL sends alerts when agreements are 90 days, 30 days, and 7 days before their expiration, allowing organizations ample time to review renewal options.
Renewals and Expirations
When an agreement nears its expiration date, the Contributor organization must decide whether to extend or terminate the agreement. If the agreement should continue under the same terms, the Contributor can extend the expiration date without modification. If changes are needed, a new draft agreement must be created and sent for approval.
Distributors also have the option to request a renewal, but the final decision rests with the Content Contributor. If an agreement is not renewed, it moves to Expired status, and access to the associated content is revoked. Expired agreements remain visible in the DBL system for reference but no longer grant content access.
Proper handling of renewals helps avoid disruptions in content access, ensuring that distributors can continue their work without unnecessary interruptions. By proactively managing licensing agreements, organizations can maintain seamless access to digital biblical content while upholding the integrity of content ownership.