Exclusive license
By Gareth HoyleLast updated How we research
An exclusive license gives one buyer sole rights to use a dataset for the licensed purpose, so the seller cannot license the same data to anyone else.
An exclusive license is a license under which only one buyer may use the dataset for the licensed purpose, and the seller agrees not to license it to others during the term. Exclusivity can be total, or limited by field of use, territory or time.
Where the dataset is protected by US copyright, an exclusive license counts as a transfer of copyright ownership under 17 USC 101, so 17 USC 204(a) requires a written instrument signed by the rights owner.
How much more does an exclusive license pay?
An exclusive license typically pays more, because the buyer gains data its competitors cannot get. AIData.Broker, as reported by ddiy.co in October 2026, puts an exclusive license at about 2.5 to 5 times a non-exclusive deal for the same data.
Some buyers make exclusivity their default. Polyshares publishes exclusive terms by default, and its four published deals, from $110,000 to $450,000, were all perpetual and exclusive. Labelbox Prism is also exclusive by default, according to its published terms.
What does an exclusive license cost the seller?
An exclusive license costs the seller the option to sell the same records again, sometimes for good if the term is perpetual. Compare both models in exclusive vs non-exclusive data licenses before you accept either.