Rights Agreements
Part of Sponsorship rights management
Recording the expiry of brand usage permissions
Track when sponsorship names and logos may be used, what needs changing at expiry and how to record an authorised extension.
Record each brand-use end date against the exact name, mark or other asset and the uses it covers. Put any end-of-use condition beside the approved material. An event date, contract term and permission period may differ, so check the actual grant before scheduling or continuing a use.
Record each permitted use
Either party may need permission. A sponsor might use an event name in its own advertising; an organiser might place the sponsor’s logo in a program. Record the authorised user, rights holder, approved asset or file, purpose, channels, territory, start and end dates, and approval conditions. If an agency or supplier will use the asset, check whether that use is covered.
Possession of a logo file does not establish continuing permission to publish it. IP Australia describes an IP licence as permission to use an asset without owning it and explains that licence periods and conditions can be negotiated.
Identify the action at expiry
For each use, record what may still be scheduled or visible after the end date, who can change it and when it will be checked. Review queued posts, advertisements, templates and live pages. Ask the rights holder how already distributed print, archived pages and past social posts are treated under the actual terms. Do not assume a general archive exception or a universal duty to delete every past item.
Use / Question to resolve
- Queued campaign material
- Could it publish after permission ends?
- Live website or profile
- Must the mark or relationship description be changed?
- Remaining print stock
- Do the terms permit further distribution?
- Archived material
- Is continued display permitted, restricted or unresolved?
- Supplier-held files
- Who tells the supplier to stop new uses?
Review before the end date
Set an internal check early enough to find affected bookings and prepare approved replacement material where a campaign will continue. Assign each affected use an owner. If an event is postponed or a relationship renewed, record the authorised extension, its period and the assets it covers. A proposed renewal or continued working relationship does not itself establish a longer permission.
Where the end date or treatment of existing material is unclear, hold new uses. Seek a decision from the relevant rights holder or authorised contacts.
Check words as well as logos
Review descriptions such as “official sponsor” or “exclusive partner” against the agreed period and scope. An outdated relationship claim can mislead even when the logo has been removed. The ACCC can require businesses to back up claims they make about their products or services. Record what changed, when and on whose authority so later material uses the current permission.
Key Compliance Risks from Expired Brand Permissions
- Misleading claims under ACCC rulesYes – even without logo, outdated titles like 'official sponsor' may breach advertising standards
- Unauthorised use of IP after expiryCommon risk when permission is not formally recorded
- Need for formal extension documentationRequired to continue use beyond original term
