Put clear licensing terms behind your merchandise deals

You will usually need one when someone else wants to put your brand, artwork, character, logo, name or other creative asset onto products for sale, promotion or distribution. The agreement records the commercial rules around that use, including which items are allowed, whether the licence is exclusive, how approvals work and what payment model applies. Without that detail, it is easy for product ranges to expand beyond what was intended, or for arguments to arise about ownership, royalties or who signs off final designs.

Most merchandise licensing deals turn on a few practical points: what IP is being licensed, which product categories are permitted, where the goods can be sold, how long the licence lasts, whether sublicensing is allowed, and how royalties or minimum payments are calculated. Approval rights are also important, especially for packaging, samples, marketing copy and final artwork. A well-drafted agreement can also deal with stock sell-off after termination, quality control, infringement reporting and what happens if the relationship ends early.

The drafting usually depends on the asset being licensed, the types of merchandise involved, the parties in the deal and the commercial model you have agreed, or are still negotiating. For example, a short-run artist collaboration may need different approval mechanics from a long-term brand licensing arrangement across multiple product lines. If you already have a term sheet, email chain or draft from the other side, we can use that as the starting point. If not, we can help shape the key terms before the document is settled.

Timing depends on how much information is available at the outset and whether the commercial points are already agreed. If you have a clear brief or an existing draft, review can move faster than a matter where the licence structure still needs to be worked through. Delays often come from unresolved royalty terms, missing product details or back-and-forth with the other party. If any external approval is relevant, that sits outside this service, and If approval steps are relevant, we will explain what needs to be prepared and what sits outside the legal work..

No. The fixed-fee covers drafting or reviewing the merchandise licence agreement and advising on the legal wording and commercial issues in that document. It does not cover obtaining regulator approval, managing third-party sign-off, or acting for you on an ongoing basis after the agreement is delivered. If your merchandise touches a regulated area, approval depends on the relevant regulator or authority. Those requirements can differ depending on the product type and where it will be supplied, so separate steps may be needed outside the document work itself.

Submit an enquiry on this page or click 'Get started'. One of our legal consultants will review it within 1 business day and get in touch to understand what you need.

Your consultant will then email you a fixed-fee quote setting out the cost, scope and timing. If you're happy with it, you can accept the quote and sign our engagement letter online.

Once you've accepted, one of our Australian-qualified lawyers will work with you to complete your project. They'll contact you by email or phone if they need anything.

Sprintlaw works on fixed-fee pricing wherever possible, so you can review the scope and cost before you decide whether to proceed. For the Merchandise Licence Agreement service, pricing starts from $900.00.

After you enquire, a legal consultant will confirm what is included, the expected timing and whether any extra work is needed before you engage us.

We work online, so we can help wherever you are in New Zealand. Our team works remotely, mainly from Australia.

Your work is done by our Australian-qualified lawyers, who hold Australian practising certificates and specialise in business law. None of them are New Zealand lawyers or hold a New Zealand practising certificate.

Sprintlaw NZ Limited is a legal consultancy, not a law firm, and is not regulated by the New Zealand Law Society. We don't act in court or tribunal matters, conveyancing (including leases and business sales) or other reserved areas of work. Communications with Sprintlaw are unlikely to be protected by legal professional privilege. We still keep everything confidential under our engagement letter.