Media Release Agreement

A Media Release Agreement is a one-sided agreement that allows a person or company the rights to someone else's personal intellectual property. It's a one-sided agreement because only the person releasing the rights to their intellectual property, the "releasor," signs the agreement and makes any promises. The person receiving the released property, the "release receiver," does not sign.

Personal intellectual property in this context very often means photos or videos of the releasor, but it is not limited. The personal intellectual property is called the "released media" in this agreement and could be anything from the person participating in a commercial to a piece of art that the person created. It could also be an audio recording of the person's voice or their likeness in a story or film. In this way, this document is different than a Model Release because there, it is extremely limited to only personal media. This Media Release Agreement allows for the release of any media.

This document is also different than a Release Agreement because here, only personal intellectual property is being released. In a general Release Agreement, all legal claims and demands are released, usually based on an activity or incident.

How to use this document

This document can be used for the situation when personal intellectual property needs to be fully released to a party besides the one that currently owns it. Having this document signed will ensure that the person receiving the released media does not end up owing the releasor any money or royalties. It also ensures the release receiver will not be subject to any potential lawsuits.

This document contains the name and contact information of the releasor. It also includes details about the actual released media.

When this document is filled out, it should be printed out and signed by the releasor, or their parent/guardian if the releasor is under 18. It is a best practice for a copy of this document to be given to the release receiver and a copy to be kept with the releasor.

Applicable law

Media Release Agreements are normally subject to individual state laws, governing general and commercial contract principles. Depending on the type of released media, federal copyright and trademark laws may also apply.

How to modify the template

You fill out a form. The document is created before your eyes as you respond to the questions.

At the end, you receive it in Word and PDF formats. You can modify it and reuse it.