SANJIESAN LICENSING / PRACTICAL GUIDE
Write a useful first collaboration brief
A first brief does not need to sell an entire future business. It needs to help the recipient understand what you propose and decide who should discuss it. Keep the opening page concrete enough that someone can reply with questions rather than having to reconstruct the idea from a presentation.
Begin with the proposed use
Name the proposed product, service or campaign and describe where the IP would appear. A packaging illustration, a clothing graphic and an event installation are different conversations even if they use the same character. State whether you are exploring an idea, preparing an internal proposal or seeking a discussion about a defined project.
Introduce the organisation and the role of the person writing. Include a business contact and the market or audience you intend to reach. If several companies would make, distribute or promote the work, list the proposed roles and mark any unconfirmed participant as unconfirmed. Do not present a possible partner as already engaged.
Label the numbers and boundaries
List the intended markets, channels, formats and approximate timing. Separate what your team has decided from what depends on a future agreement. If you include quantities, budgets or a launch window, say whether they are planning assumptions or approved internal figures. An estimate is useful when its status is clear.
Keep reference images together with their sources and a note explaining why each is relevant. A reference might describe a colour treatment or packaging shape; it is not permission to reproduce the artwork. Identify the specific Sanjiesan asset or established identity you want to discuss without inventing a new official relationship between characters or card identities.
End with questions someone can answer
Ask what information is needed to assess the proposal, who should join the next conversation and how materials should be shared. If availability, permitted uses, territories or approval stages are open questions, list them as questions. Do not assume that a positive conversation has settled those points.
Keep a short attachment index: brief version, reference list and any specification sheet. Avoid sending confidential customer information or unnecessary personal data in an opening email. A clear summary is easier to route than a large archive whose purpose is unclear. Keep your own record of which version was sent.
Treat the reply as the next step in an assessment. Any rights, commercial terms, production commitments or permissions need the appropriate separate review and written agreement. This guide organises a business conversation; it does not determine the legal terms for a particular project.
Keep the first email readable without opening the attachments. A recipient should be able to identify the proposed use and your main question from the message itself, then consult the files for detail.
- What is proposed, and at what stage?
- Who would do what, in which markets and channels?
- Which facts are confirmed, and which questions remain open?