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AI clause creative contract checklistbefore you sign a contract with a publisher, label, client or platform
TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. Check whether the contract mentions AI, whether training, output, voice and likeness rights are granted or reserved, and keep dated copies of each version.
Nothing you tick is sent anywhere. This page is not legal advice and cannot tell you what a contract means or whether a clause is fair or enforceable. Ask a lawyer, or your union or guild, to read the actual wording.
Check the AI wording, the limits and the copies you keep
Tick what is true about the contract. You get a shareable result and clear next steps. Nothing you tick is sent to TimeBinder.
Your choices stay on this page. Nothing you tick is sent anywhere or tied to your name.
Tick everything that is true about a contract you are about to sign or have signed
This looks at whether the contract mentions AI at all, whether training, output, voice and likeness rights are granted or reserved, how wide and how long the grant is, and whether you keep dated copies of each version. It is a list of questions, not legal advice.
What to do now
What should I check about AI in a creative contract before I sign? The short answer
Check whether the contract mentions AI at all, and whether AI training, AI outputs and the use of your voice, name or likeness are granted or reserved. Broad words such as “all rights” or “all media now known or later developed” can be read widely when AI is not mentioned. Look for “perpetual”, “irrevocable”, “worldwide” and “sublicensable” near AI, voice or likeness. Ask what you are paid for any AI licence, and whether any carve-out for the other party’s internal tools is limited to internal operations. The Authors Guild’s model clause reserves AI rights to the author unless expressly granted, with a narrow carve-out for internal tools such as marketing and search.
This checklist is not legal advice. A TimeBind of a file you already hold, such as the version you were sent or your signed copy, can show that exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not show what a clause means or that a contract is fair.
Why this came up in November 2026
On 2 November 2026 the European Composer and Songwriter Alliance sent MEPs a letter asking them to support measures against contractual practices that pressure authors and performers to accept broad clauses transferring rights for AI-related uses, including buyouts. On 10 November the European authors’ societies body GESAC published its response to the European Commission’s consultation, calling for a legislative proposal on coercive buy-out practices. Those are positions of industry bodies, not law. Separately, the Authors Guild and the UK Incorporated Society of Musicians publish example AI rights reservation clauses for authors, songwriters and artists. This page does not treat any of these as legal advice.
Measured demand is visible. Checked on 13 November 2026, about 6:25 AM Australia/Brisbane. Google autocomplete for “ai clause in contract” returned “ai clause in contracts”, “anti ai clause in contract”, “no ai clause in contract”, “ai clauses in commercial contracts” and “ai clauses in publishing contracts”. Autocomplete shows what people type. It is not search volume.
For a brief you give an illustrator, see the illustration commission AI brief checklist.
Sources: Authors Guild model AI clauses, ISM: AI rights reservation clauses for musicians, ECSA letter, 2 November 2026 and GESAC, 10 November 2026.
What this checklist does and does not do
The honest job of this page is to put the questions in a sensible order, not to read your contract. See also the client file AI tool checklist and the glossary entries for existed no later than and fingerprint.
| Part | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| What the contract says | Reminds you to check whether AI training, outputs, voice and likeness are mentioned, granted or reserved. | Tell you what a clause means. |
| Pay and limits | Reminds you to ask about pay for AI licences, time limits, sublicensing and the scope of any internal-tools carve-out. | Negotiate for you. |
| Your own use of AI | Reminds you to check whether you may use AI tools or must disclose it. | Tell you what you must disclose. |
| A TimeBind of a file you already hold | Records that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches, using a SHA-256 fingerprint made in your browser. The file stays on your device. | Show what a clause means, that a contract is fair or that a clause is enforceable. |
If the versions of a contract are something you may need to show later
Before and after you sign:
- Keep the version you were sent, the version you signed and any emails that changed the AI wording.
- Make a TimeBind of each exact file you already hold. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file stays on your device. You can later download a Proof of Time Certificate.
- Store the files, your notes and the certificate together, with the date of each version.
A TimeBind shows the exact file existed no later than the recorded time and still matches. It cannot show what a clause means.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.
What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.
AI clause creative contract checklist: FAQ
Does silence about AI protect me?
Not necessarily. Broad grants such as “all rights” or “all media now known or later developed” can arguably be read to cover uses nobody discussed. If you are unsure, ask for AI rights to be reserved or addressed in writing, and ask a qualified adviser.
What is a rights reservation clause?
It is wording that says the creator keeps AI-related rights unless they are expressly granted. The Authors Guild and the Incorporated Society of Musicians publish examples. They are examples, not advice for your contract.
Should I worry about “perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable”?
Those words near AI, voice or likeness can mean the other party may pass the rights on, with no end date. Ask what they cover, and whether a time limit and no sublicensing are possible.
Does a dated record make a clause enforceable?
No. A TimeBind of a file you already hold can show that exact file existed no later than a recorded time and still matches. It does not show what a clause means or that it is enforceable.
Is this legal advice?
No. It runs in your browser and only helps you plan questions to ask. Ask a lawyer, or your union or guild, about your contract.
Is anything I tick sent to TimeBinder?
No. The checklist runs in your browser. Your ticks stay on the page.
Related guides and tools
- Illustration commission AI brief checklistAI wording in a brief
- Client file AI tool checklistClient files and AI tools
- Figma AI terms checklistTerms of a design tool
- AI crawler opt-outOpt-out signals for your site
- GlossaryPlain definitions of fingerprint, SHA-256 and existed no later than
- All free toolsPrivate, in-browser tools
Date the exact files you already hold
Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of each version of the contract you were sent and signed.
- Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
- Add your files. They stay on your computer.
- Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.
First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.