SANJIESAN LICENSING / Product records
Three identifiers a collaboration should keep separate
A new print colour does not create a new character, and a new character illustration does not automatically create a sellable product. Keeping those records separate makes later conversations about stock, artwork and permission much easier. This is a practical record design, not a proposed change to any established fictional canon.
Start with the established identity
Use the authoritative identity record as a reference, without copying it into every product row. A team can then correct a reference link without rewriting the character biography throughout the catalogue. If the identity is uncertain, hold that association for review. Do not let a supplier’s filename decide who the character is or create a new role from an unfamiliar costume.
Give the visual its own revision trail
The visual record should point to an exact approved image and its revision history. A portrait, a landscape composition and an alternate illustration may share the same identity while having different crops and review needs. Record those differences directly. Keep the visual’s usage documentation beside it; IP Australia distinguishes licensing use from ownership, which is a useful reminder that a file identifier alone does not describe permission.
Create a product variation only when it exists
For a real product variation, record the actual material, size and supplier reference from verified information. Before those facts are available, keep a development record with unknown values rather than inventing a retail SKU, stock figure or launch date. Link a variation back to its selected visual and identity so that a later artwork change can be reviewed without confusing it with an inventory change.