SANJIESAN LICENSING / BUYING GUIDE
Before paying for a sample round, define what it must answer
A sample is worth discussing when it can settle a question that a drawing cannot. If the issue is merely where a motif sits, a revised proof may be enough. If the issue is how a finish looks on the proposed material, ask for a specimen that actually uses that material and process.
Name the uncertainty in one sentence
Write a question the recipient can inspect: does the selected artwork remain legible on the proposed curved surface, for example? Identify which parts of the sample must match the intended product and which may be stand-ins. Ask the supplier to distinguish a visual mockup from a process-specific sample in the quotation. A beautifully photographed substitute cannot answer a question about a material it does not contain.
Agree the evidence returned with the sample
Ask what photographs, dimensions or process notes will accompany the specimen. Select only the evidence needed for this round. Include a clear status label and a reference to the approved review artwork. WIPO describes licensing as permission to use IP; paying a fabrication invoice should not be treated as a substitute for the project’s permission review. Keep that review separate from the sample’s physical acceptance.
Let the open question choose the sample round
If the concern is whether a border crosses a curved view awkwardly, a clearly defined visual study may answer the next decision. If the concern is how a stated finish appears on a proposed material, ask the responsible provider what appropriate physical evidence would address it. Keep the two tasks separate when reviewing a proposal. An inconclusive result calls for a precise explanation of what remains unknown, not an automatic larger order. Select the round whose stated output can answer the question, and ask how any later revision would be scoped without assuming a default number of free remakes.