Dreamstime’s Extended Licenses for Microstock Images and Videos

Selling your photos or videos through a microstock agency is a great way to make use of them while generating a passive income on the side. Among the popular microstock agencies is Dreamstime. Dreamstime allows anyone to upload their images or videos as a contributor. It usually takes Dreamstime’s staff 72 hours to review the upload and then issue an approval or denial to the contributor. When uploading images or videos, a contributor is given the option to offer extended licenses in addition to the Royalty Free or Editorial licenses offered by Dreamstime by default to buyers. Dreamstime offers eight extended license types: U-EL, I-EL, W-EL, P-EL, SR-EL, SR-EL1, and SR-EL2. These licenses can be quite confusing to understand for a beginning contributor (and also a buyer), so let’s simplify each of these individual extended licenses.

This license extends Dreamstime’s regular Royalty Free / Editorial license to an entire organization rather than just one or few employees of the organization. There is a 500,000 print maximum for each employee member that holds an account.

This license extends Dreamstime’s regular Royalty Free / Editorial license to an unlimited number of physical copies in any form.

This license gives buyers the right to use the image or video in web templates, screensavers, e-cards, PowerPoint presentations or as wallpapers on cell phones which can be resold. There is a maximum of 10,000 copies for each type of electronic item created. The buyer will need to purchase the license again if the maximum is exceeded, which will then provide the buyer with another 10,000 maximum.

This license gives buyers the right to use the image for t-shirts, postcards, greeting cards, mugs, mousepads, posters, calendars, framed artwork which can be resold. There is a maximum of 10,000 copies for each print item created. The buyer will need to purchase the license again if the maximum is exceeded, which will then provide the buyer with another 10,000 maximum.

This license gives the buyer full ownership (exclusive rights) of the image or video and this begins as soon the buyer downloads the image or video. Dreamstime will remove the image or video as soon as the buyer purchases the license and the contributor has 72 hours to remove it elsewhere online. Although the image or video is now exclusively the buyers, this does not affect downloads made prior to their purchase. The buyer can do with the image or video as they please except claim creation of the image or video and associate it with sensitive subjects. Sensitive subjects meaning buyers cannot use images or videos with topics or in a way that can be considered offensive or unflattering to any of the people in the image or video.

These licenses have all the features of the SR-EL, except for where the SR-EL license is indefinite the SR-EL1 and the SR-EL3 licenses have an allotted timeframe.

The SR-EL1 license gives the buyer one year of exclusive rights to the image or video purchased.

The SR-EL3 license gives the buyer three years of exclusive rights to the image or video purchased.

As with the SR-EL1, the buyer can do with the image or video as they please in the allotted timeframe except claim creation of the image or video and associate it with sensitive subjects. Dreamstime will remove the image or video as soon as the buyer purchases the license and the contributor has 72 hours to remove it elsewhere online. After the allotted timeframe of exclusive rights is over, the buyer’s license will resume as before except without the right of exclusivity and Dreamstime will add the image or video back on their site for downloading. The contributor can then add the image or video anywhere else they would like online.

Click here for more information regarding Dreamstime’s extended license options.