License terms, in plain language

A royalty-free license on footage.cool means you pay once and use the clip forever: worldwide, in commercial and editorial projects, with no renewals or per-view fees. Licenses are granted directly by the copyright holder — filmmaker Phil Maher — and a license PDF recording the clip, the license type, and the purchase date is emailed to you at checkout.

The three licenses

StandardExtendedExclusive buyout
Price — most clips$79$199Custom quote via email
Price — premium clips$149$399
Media & territoryAll media, worldwide, perpetualAll media, worldwide, perpetualNegotiated per deal
Commercial & editorial useBothBothBoth
Distribution capUp to 1M views or copiesUnlimitedUnlimited
Broadcast TV, theatrical, streaming originals—IncludedIncluded
DeliveryUp to 4K UHD H.264 masterUp to 4K UHD H.264 master4K master + project raw files on request
ExclusivityNoneNoneClip removed from all marketplaces and licensed only to you

Premium pricing applies to a small set of hero shots — drone-over-whales, rare wildlife, one-off locations. Every clip page shows its own price before you buy.

What the license lets you do

What it doesn't let you do

Releases

The footage is cleared for editorial use as shot. Most of the library is aerial, landscape, and marine work with no identifiable people; where a person or private property is recognizable and your use is commercial, securing model or property releases is your responsibility. Unsure about a specific clip? Email Phil before you license it.

Delivery, refunds, and the controlling document

Payment runs through Stripe. The moment it clears, the clean master (no watermark) is ready to download and your license PDF is emailed; download links stay live for 24 hours and are re-issued on request. Because clips are delivered instantly as digital files, a sale is final once you have downloaded the master — but a wrong clip, a double charge, or a technical problem with the file gets fixed, swapped, or refunded. The license PDF issued with your purchase is the controlling document for that purchase; this page summarizes its terms.

Licensing FAQ

Are the clips royalty-free?
Yes. The standard license is royalty-free, worldwide, and perpetual, and it covers both commercial and editorial use. You pay once and keep using the clip, with no renewals, expiry, or per-view fees. The one limit is scale: the standard license covers distribution up to one million views or copies, and the extended license removes that cap.
What's the difference between the standard and extended license?
Standard, which is $79 on most clips, covers all-media use worldwide and in perpetuity, up to one million views or distributed copies. Extended, at $199, adds the broadcast and large-audience cases: unlimited distribution, broadcast TV, theatrical features, and streaming originals. Pick extended if the project airs on TV, screens in cinemas, or will reach a wide audience; for web, social, and corporate work, standard is usually plenty.
Where and how can I use a licensed clip?
Anywhere your project runs: YouTube and social, documentaries, ads and brand campaigns, client and corporate videos, films, and editorial pieces, commercial or editorial. You can cut, recolor, retime, and mix the clips with your own footage. What you can't do is resell or redistribute a clip on its own, or make it available for others to license as stock.
How much does a clip cost?
Most clips are $79 for a royalty-free standard license and $199 for an extended broadcast license. A small set of hero shots, like the drone-over-whales and rare wildlife clips, are priced as premium at $149 standard and $399 extended. Every clip shows its own price before you buy, and exclusive buyouts are quoted per project. There's no subscription and no credit pack to spend down.
Do I need a model or property release?
Most of the library is aerial, landscape, and marine footage with no identifiable people, so releases usually don't come up. When a person or private property is recognizable and you're using the clip commercially, securing any model or property release is your responsibility. As shot, the footage is cleared for editorial use. If a specific clip raises a question, email Phil before you license it.
Who owns the footage, and is it cleared?
Phil Maher shoots every clip himself and holds 100% of the copyright, so the chain-of-title traces back to one person and stays clean. Footage is licensed direct from him and never resold through a marketplace, which means no tangled rights and no third-party claims to chase down later. Your license PDF records the clip, the license type, and the date, so you have proof on file.
Do you offer refunds?
Each clip is delivered instantly as a digital file, so once you've downloaded the master a sale is final. If you bought the wrong clip, were charged twice, or hit a technical problem with the file, email Phil and he'll make it right, whether that's a fix, a swap, or a refund. The watermarked preview lets you check the full shot before you pay.

Custom licensing

Bulk discounts on clip sets, exclusive buyouts, log/raw files for grading, and custom shoots are all quoted directly: licensing@footage.cool.

Find a clip to license