Rights & Provenance

One of Lazer's core responsibilities is tracking the licensing rights and content provenance of every asset you generate. When you're ready to ship, you need to know: "Can I legally use this? Do I have commercial rights? Where did it come from?"

Lazer makes these questions answerable at a glance.

The Four Rights States

Every asset version has a rightsState field with one of four values:

1. Unknown

The licensing status has not been determined.

When this happens:

• Asset was manually uploaded without metadata.
• Extension captured the asset but couldn't determine platform or account type.
• Platform doesn't provide clear licensing information.

What to do: Manually review the asset, check the platform's terms, and update the rights state.

2. Non-Commercial

The asset can be used for non-commercial purposes only.

Common scenarios:

• Generated on a free tier of Midjourney, Runway, or Sora.
• Platform explicitly restricts commercial use for unpaid accounts.
• Asset is a remix or derivative of content with non-commercial restrictions.

What to do: Do NOT ship this in commercial projects. Either regenerate on a paid plan or use it only for internal reference.

3. Commercial Allowed

The asset can be used commercially.

Common scenarios:

• Generated on a paid subscription (Midjourney Pro, Sora paid tier, etc.).
• Platform grants commercial rights to all outputs.
• Asset is original content without third-party dependencies.

What to do: Safe to ship in commercial projects. Verify platform terms haven't changed.

4. Restricted

The asset has specific restrictions beyond simple non-commercial use.

Common scenarios:

• Platform requires attribution.
• Asset can be used in specific contexts only (e.g., editorial use only).
• Asset includes recognizable third-party IP (characters, brands, music samples).
• Asset was generated with a reference image that has its own licensing restrictions.

What to do: Review the specific restrictions. Add notes to the asset version. Consult legal if uncertain.

Important: Lazer tracks what it can detect automatically. You are ultimately responsible for verifying rights and compliance with platform terms. Lazer surfaces what it knows and flags uncertainty clearly.

Platform-Specific Licensing

Different platforms have different licensing models. Lazer tracks these automatically when possible.

Sora (OpenAI)

• Paid tier: Commercial use allowed. You own the output.
• Free tier (if available): Check OpenAI's terms. May be non-commercial.
• Attribution: Not required.

Midjourney

• Free tier: Non-commercial use only.
• Basic/Standard plans: Commercial use allowed up to $10K/year revenue.
• Pro/Mega plans: Full commercial rights, no revenue cap.
• Attribution: Not required but appreciated.

Veo (Google Gemini)

• Gemini free tier: Non-commercial use only.
• Google One AI Premium: Commercial use allowed.
• Watermarking: All outputs include SynthID watermark (invisible, detectable).
• Attribution: Required for some use cases (check terms).

Runway

• Free tier: Non-commercial use only.
• Standard/Pro/Unlimited plans: Commercial use allowed.
• Attribution: Not required.

ElevenLabs

• Free tier: Non-commercial use only.
• Paid tiers: Commercial use allowed.
• Voice cloning: Requires consent from voice owner. Lazer cannot verify this automatically.
• Attribution: Not required.

Freepik

• Free tier: Commercial use allowed with attribution.
• Premium tier: Commercial use allowed, no attribution required.
• Editorial vs. commercial: Check individual asset licenses.

Suno / Udio (Music)

• Free tier: Non-commercial use only.
• Pro tier: Commercial use allowed up to $1M/year revenue.
• Music licensing: Complex. May require additional clearances for samples or similar melodies.

Note: Platform terms change frequently. Lazer captures the rights state at generation time. Always verify current terms before final delivery.

Automatic Rights Detection

The Chrome extension attempts to detect rights state automatically:

1. Detect platform from the current webpage (URL, DOM structure).
2. Detect account type from user profile or page indicators (free, paid, pro).
3. Look up platform licensing from internal database.
4. Set rights state based on platform + account type mapping.

Example: Extension detects Midjourney, sees "Basic Plan" in the UI, sets rightsState: 'Commercial Allowed'.

If detection fails, rights state defaults to Unknown and you'll see a warning in the UI.

Content Provenance

Provenance tracking answers: "Where did this content come from? Can we prove it?"

Lazer captures multiple provenance signals:

SynthID Watermarks (Google/DeepMind)

Veo outputs include SynthID, an invisible watermark that survives editing, compression, and re-encoding.

• Stored in: provenance.synthId JSON blob.
• Verified by: Google's SynthID detector (external tool).
• Purpose: Prove an asset was generated by Google AI, not stolen or modified from another source.

Content Credentials (C2PA)

Some platforms (Adobe Firefly, potentially others) embed Content Credentials metadata following the C2PA standard.

• Stored in: provenance.c2pa JSON blob.
• Verified by: C2PA validator tools.
• Purpose: Provide a tamper-evident chain of custody from generation to delivery.

Platform Metadata

Lazer captures platform-specific metadata:

• Generation timestamp from the platform (not just capture timestamp).
• Model version (e.g., "sora-v1", "midjourney-v6.1").
• Account ID or username (hashed for privacy).
• Job ID or request ID from the platform.

This metadata can be used to trace back to the original generation request if disputes arise.

Prompt and Settings

Every asset version records:

• basePrompt: The exact prompt used.
• negativePrompt: Terms excluded.
• settings: Model-specific parameters (seed, steps, guidance, etc.).

This is not provenance in the cryptographic sense, but it's valuable documentation. If a client questions how an asset was made, you have receipts.

The "OK to Ship?" Checklist

Before final delivery, Lazer surfaces a checklist for each asset:

• Rights state is Commercial Allowed or Restricted (with acceptable restrictions).
• Platform terms have been reviewed and are current.
• Provenance metadata is present (SynthID or C2PA if applicable).
• No recognizable third-party IP is present (characters, brands, music, etc.).
• If voice cloning was used, consent is documented.
• Attribution requirements are met (if any).
• Asset has been reviewed and approved by appropriate stakeholders.

This checklist is a guide, not a guarantee. You are responsible for final legal review, but Lazer makes it easy to spot potential issues early.

Rights State Overrides

Sometimes automatic detection is wrong. You can manually override the rights state:

await prisma.sceneAssetVersion.update({
  where: { id: 'asset_xyz' },
  data: {
    rightsState: 'Commercial Allowed',
    rightsNotes: 'Confirmed with Runway support: Pro plan grants commercial rights.'
  }
});

Always add notes when overriding. Future you (or your legal team) will need to know why the override was made.

Restricted Assets: Use Cases

The Restricted state is for assets that don't fit cleanly into "non-commercial" or "commercial allowed."

Examples:

Attribution Required

Asset is commercial-use-OK, but you must credit the platform.

{
  "rightsState": "Restricted",
  "rightsNotes": "Commercial use allowed. Attribution required: 'Generated with Freepik AI'."
}

Editorial Use Only

Asset contains real people, locations, or events. OK for news/documentary, not for advertising.

{
  "rightsState": "Restricted",
  "rightsNotes": "Editorial use only. Do not use in commercial advertising."
}

Time-Limited License

Asset license expires after a certain date (e.g., stock music with 1-year term).

{
  "rightsState": "Restricted",
  "rightsNotes": "Commercial use allowed until 2027-01-31. Renew license before shipping updates."
}

Third-Party IP

Asset includes recognizable characters, brands, or music.

{
  "rightsState": "Restricted",
  "rightsNotes": "Contains Superman likeness. Requires DC Comics clearance for commercial use."
}

Querying by Rights State

Common queries:

Get all commercial-ready assets:

const readyToShip = await prisma.sceneAssetVersion.findMany({
  where: {
    rightsState: 'Commercial Allowed',
    status: 'Approved',
    selected: true
  }
});

Get all assets with unknown rights:

const needsReview = await prisma.sceneAssetVersion.findMany({
  where: { rightsState: 'Unknown' }
});

Get all restricted assets:

const restricted = await prisma.sceneAssetVersion.findMany({
  where: { rightsState: 'Restricted' }
});

Get all non-commercial assets (potential blockers):

const blockers = await prisma.sceneAssetVersion.findMany({
  where: {
    rightsState: 'Non-Commercial',
    selected: true  // Flagged as preferred but not shippable
  }
});

UI Indicators

Lazer's UI uses color-coded badges for rights state:

• Unknown: Gray with "?" icon.
• Non-Commercial: Red with "NC" badge.
• Commercial Allowed: Green with checkmark.
• Restricted: Yellow with "!" icon.

Hovering over the badge shows detailed notes and platform terms.

Provenance Export

When exporting final assets, Lazer can generate a provenance report in JSON or PDF format:

{
  "assetId": "asset_xyz",
  "title": "Scene 5 - Establishing Shot",
  "platform": "Sora",
  "model": "sora-v1",
  "generatedAt": "2026-02-15T10:30:00Z",
  "capturedAt": "2026-02-15T10:32:00Z",
  "rightsState": "Commercial Allowed",
  "basePrompt": "A futuristic city at sunset with flying cars",
  "settings": {
    "seed": 42,
    "steps": 50,
    "guidance": 7.5
  },
  "provenance": {
    "synthId": "...",
    "platformJobId": "sora_job_12345"
  },
  "approvedBy": "user_abc",
  "approvedAt": "2026-02-15T14:00:00Z"
}

This report serves as documentation for legal review, client delivery, or regulatory compliance.

Best Practices

1. Check rights state immediately after capture. Don't wait until final delivery to discover a licensing issue.
2. Regenerate non-commercial assets on paid plans. Don't risk legal issues to save a few dollars on subscriptions.
3. Document restricted assets clearly. Add detailed notes about attribution requirements, editorial restrictions, etc.
4. Verify platform terms periodically. Licensing policies change. What was OK last year may not be OK today.
5. Use provenance metadata when available. SynthID and C2PA provide strong evidence of origin.
6. Export provenance reports for final delivery. Clients and legal teams appreciate having receipts.
7. When in doubt, set to Restricted. It's safer to flag something for manual review than to assume it's OK.

Limitations and Disclaimers

Lazer tracks rights and provenance to the best of its ability, but it is not a substitute for legal advice.

What Lazer can do:

• Detect platform and account type.
• Look up common licensing terms.
• Capture provenance metadata.
• Surface uncertainty clearly.

What Lazer cannot do:

• Verify that platform terms haven't changed since generation.
• Detect third-party IP (characters, brands, music) in generated content.
• Determine if a voice clone has proper consent.
• Guarantee that an asset is legally safe to ship.

Always consult legal counsel for commercial projects, especially when:

• Shipping to a large audience.
• Using assets with Restricted or Unknown rights state.
• Incorporating third-party IP.
• Operating in regulated industries (finance, healthcare, etc.).

Next Steps

You've completed the Core Concepts section. For hands-on guidance, see the Getting Started guide to begin using Lazer in your production workflow.

For specific workflows like capturing outputs from Sora or comparing versions across platforms, see the Guides section.