SANJIESAN LICENSING / BUYING GUIDE
An IP fee and a design fee answer different questions
Two proposals can both say “character project” while covering different work. One may discuss permission to use an existing visual; another may cover layout and adaptations. Put the proposed deliverables beside the fee descriptions before choosing on the total. There is no useful price comparison until the scope is comparable.
Sort the quoted lines by what they deliver
Create separate groups for rights discussion, creative services, samples and physical production. Preserve the supplier’s original wording beside your working categories. The Hong Kong IP Department describes royalties and other possible payment arrangements; a line called a fee does not explain its basis by itself. Ask what triggers each payment and what documentary or physical deliverable corresponds to it.
Compare the same stage of work
Put two quotations against the same small brief: one selected visual, one proposed object and a stated number of review outputs, for example. Ask whether editable files, packaging adaptation and an additional revision are included or quoted separately. Keep unanswered items visible instead of assuming that a lower total includes them. This is a scope comparison; it is not a suggested market rate or a royalty benchmark.
Choose the scope that covers the missing work
Consider two hypothetical proposals: one concerns permission for a specified existing image, while the other supplies a new layout using material you provide. Neither replaces the other when the project needs both permission and design work. Mark those separate questions before comparing amounts. If the present need is only to explore a layout, ask about that bounded service while leaving the rights question visible. If the creative material is ready and the missing step is permission, a larger design package does not answer it. Choose the work that fills the actual gap, with any combined proposal stating its separate components clearly.