What are the dos and don’ts for obtaining a license?

For consent/permission from copyright owners or copyright societies, the following points are to be kept in mind:

1. Buying content (such as movies from YouTube movies or songs from iTunes) does not give the permission or license to use that content commercially. Such content is for your personal consumption only.

2. If you obtain a license for commercial use (for example, from Getty Images), the terms will specifically mention how you could use such content. Understand the license terms and the usage rights, i.e. whether one can make changes to the content? For how long can you use the image? Are there any restrictions regarding the commercial purposes for which it can be used? Is a copyright notice/attribution required to be given etc.?

3. When taking consent from copyright owners, have it reduced in writing

Ensure you are getting permission from the correct owners. As mentioned earlier, the artist or performer that you see in a video or film may not be the copyright owner since the rights may lie with the producer of such work.