Exclusivity
Exclusivity decides whether the same records can be licensed again. In published content deals it is often ruled out: Informa describes its Microsoft agreement as non-exclusive (Informa RNS, checked 18 Oct 2026), and Calliope Networks states that its AI training licences are non-exclusive and exclude exhibition rights (Calliope Networks, checked 18 Oct 2026). On the company-data side, Pewter lists some deals as a perpetual, exclusive licence (Pewter, checked 18 Oct 2026), and Troveo's homepage says 95% of its data is exclusive to it (Troveo, checked 18 Oct 2026). Everyone else is silent.
Term and what survives it
Polyshares licenses defined material for a defined term (Polyshares, checked 18 Oct 2026). The HarperCollins book licence with Microsoft ran three years (MediaNama, checked 18 Oct 2026). At the other end, Replay's example licence for buyers is perpetual for training, evaluation and model development (Replay, checked 18 Oct 2026). A model trained during a term keeps what it learned, so the useful questions are about copies, onward transfer and deletion at the end.
Payment timing and shape
Three shapes appear. A single payment: Turing pays once, up to $1M (Turing, checked 18 Oct 2026). A payment on delivery or approval: Mercor wires on delivery, typically 2 to 4 weeks after signing (Mercor, checked 18 Oct 2026); Polyshares pays Net 30 to 60 once the data is approved; Grepped says as little as 7 days (Grepped, checked 18 Oct 2026). A recurring share: Replay adds a perpetual revenue share to upfront cash, Troveo pays on every resale, and Magma pays a revenue share as data licenses (Magma, checked 18 Oct 2026). Large content licences also mix forms: Informa reported an initial fee of $10m+ plus recurring payments over three years.
Clawbacks and warranties
None of the programmes we track publishes clawback, refund or warranty clauses. That does not mean they are absent from the contracts. Payments that can be reversed for quality, completeness or a buyer's rejection are worth less than the same amount paid clean, so this is the clause to ask for in writing.
Who pays the intermediary
Datarade charges data providers 30% commission on its free plan and 20% or 15% on paid plans costing $6,000 or $12,000 a year (Datarade, checked 18 Oct 2026). SimpleClosure takes a percentage when assets sell or license (SimpleClosure, checked 18 Oct 2026). Pewter is paid by the licensing firm at close. Created by Humans takes a cut of author deals, according to TechCrunch (TechCrunch, checked 18 Oct 2026). Polyshares, Troveo and Mercor say the company pays nothing.
Referral pay
Three programmes publish referral amounts: Grepped (10% of the deal, up to $100K), micro1 ($50K, or 7.5% above a $700K deal) and Turing (up to $10k). Mercor pays an unstated bonus once the referred company goes live. When an introduction arrives from someone else, it is fair to ask whether a referral fee is attached.
Not legal advice. This page compares what is published. A licence for company records also touches data protection, employment and client contracts; those questions belong with a lawyer who has read the actual agreement.