Themes, code, graphics, video templates and 3D items can be purchased on either a Regular License or an Extended License.
Photos can also be bought on a Regular or Extended License but different rules to the ones in this FAQ apply. If you’re looking to license photos you can find out more about the difference here.
The main difference between these licenses is that under the Regular License, your end product (incorporating the item you've purchased) is distributed free of charge, whereas under the Extended License, your end product may be sold or otherwise limited to paying customers. We include some special applications of this rule below.
What counts as “free of charge”?
When we say “free of charge” we’re talking about whether the general public can access the end product for free. More specifically, “free of charge” means that no part of the End Product which incorporates or relies on the licensed item requires payment to access.
For Blogging themes, there is a special application of this rule (see below).
Examples:
- Even though you (as a freelancer) were paid by your client to create a website to advertise their business, the fact that the website can be viewed for free means that the Regular License is sufficient.
- Even though a website may be used for e-commerce or to generate advertising revenue is commercial, as long as users can access the site itself without having to pay, a Regular License is sufficient.
- Even though an advertisement is commercial, as long as viewers can see it free of charge, a Regular License is sufficient.
- Even though access to part (or all) of a site may require payment or paid subscription, for blogging themes, a Regular License is sufficient. A blogging theme is a theme published in the blogging category on ThemeForest.
What counts as “accessed for free” if some aspect of the end product is monetized?
|
Scenario |
License |
|---|---|
|
You use a plugin in a website that anyone can access but which makes money via advertising. |
Regular |
|
You use a plugin in the free section of a website, but also in a section of the website which is only available for paying members. |
Extended |
|
You use a 3d model of a sword for a game, and the game will be sold to the public. |
Extended |
|
You use a 3d model of a sword for a game, and the game will be free to the public but only ‘premium’ customers who pay a fee will have access to the sword. |
Extended |
|
You use a graphic in an advertisement that will be broadcast on free TV. |
Regular |
|
You use a graphic to create an advertisement that will be broadcast on pay/subscription TV. |
Regular (something which is purely an advertisement will only require a regular license, even if it will be broadcast to a paying audience). |
|
You use a video template in an episode of a TV show that will be put on YouTube and accessed for free. |
Regular |
|
You use a video template in an episode of a TV show that will be broadcast on free TV |
Extended (Broadcast is a special case - despite the fact that end users will watch for free, you or your client will be selling the item to the broadcaster) |
|
You use a Blogging theme to create a website and that website is behind a paywall or requires payment or paid subscription to access(in whole or part). |
Regular |
What won’t the Extended License let you do?
If you want to create multiple end products you typically cannot do so with an Extended License or Regular License, since both are limited to a single end product. In this case, you’ll need to purchase a separate license for each end product. There are exceptions which sometimes allow multiple uses of a single item (you can find these in the other FAQs) but when it comes to the Regular vs Extended license, the license you need will depend on whether the end product is distributed free of charge or sold or otherwise available free of charge - the number of end products won’t make a difference.
If you’re using the item in an editorial way, this won’t usually make a difference to the license you need. Choose the Regular License if your end product is distributed free of charge, and choose the Extended License if your end product is sold or otherwise limited to paying customers.