COMPANY
DATA GUIDE
Licensing basics

Questions to resolve in a data license

A clear contract connects a defined dataset to defined uses. Commercial and legal review should happen before access is granted.

Scope and control

Identify the recipient, affiliates and subcontractors that may access the data. Specify whether training, evaluation, redistribution and model-derived products are included. Clarify whether exclusivity applies to one use, one industry, one dataset version or a wider period.

Acceptance and payment

Define the inspection period, measurable acceptance criteria, payment timing and responsibility for preparation costs. Ask how disputed quality findings are resolved. A nonbinding expression of interest does not replace an executed agreement or a verified payment process.

After the agreement ends

Discuss retention, deletion, ongoing confidentiality, audit evidence and already-trained models. Removing source files may not remove their influence on a model. Document what is technically possible and contractually required rather than relying on a broad promise to “delete everything.”

Practical guidance, not legal advice or a buyer specification. Examples are illustrative. Reviewed October 20, 2026.

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