Keep an asset permission and license log.

1. Give each asset a traceable identity

Record the filename used in the project, the title supplied by the creator, the creator or provider, and the original source page. Include an asset identifier when the provider supplies one. A generic filename such as background-final.jpg is rarely enough to retrace where an image came from months later.

ATN recommends one record per distinct asset, even when several came from the same collection. Note which project or output uses it. Keep an untouched source copy when your authorized workflow permits it, and distinguish that from edited versions. The goal is to reconnect the actual delivered material to the evidence you reviewed.

2. Record the exact license or permission

Creative Commons advises licensees to identify the particular license and version, understand its scope, and read the legal code rather than relying only on a summary. Different CC licenses do not provide identical permissions. A broad label such as “Creative Commons” leaves an important gap.

For any source, record the actual terms page and the date you checked it, plus the relevant permission or purchase record if one exists. A receipt and a license answer different questions. Do not assume that paying for an asset or finding it through a free-download filter establishes every right needed for a planned commercial, edited, or redistributed use.

Sources: [1]

3. Compare the planned use with the evidence

Write down how the asset will appear: in a tutorial, a promotional graphic, a client deliverable, or an editable template, for example. Note planned edits and redistribution. Keep restrictions and uncertainties visible instead of reducing every record to a yes-or-no label before reviewing the context.

Creative Commons cautions that only specified elements may be covered by a license and that third-party rights can require separate attention. If the available evidence does not settle your intended use, mark the asset pending and choose a clearly supported alternative or obtain qualified advice. A completed spreadsheet row is not a substitute for the permission itself.

Sources: [1]

4. Prepare any required credit before export

Creative Commons recommends an attribution approach that records the title, author, source, and license, often called TASL. Preserve supplied credit information and the relevant links. Apply the actual license’s requirements rather than assuming the same attribution wording fits every item.

Check the credit in the delivered page or media description, not only in an internal note that the audience will never see.

Sources: [2]

5. Revisit the record when the use changes

A new distribution context can raise a question that the original project did not address. Review the record when turning an internal draft into a public promotion, reusing an asset for a client, or handing over an editable package. Keep the new decision connected to the original evidence.

Document replacements so collaborators do not accidentally restore an asset that was removed because its permission was unresolved. Preserve questions and the reason for the final choice. This log helps a creator manage evidence and handoffs; it cannot guarantee ownership, resolve every jurisdiction’s law, or certify that third-party material is cleared for every possible future use.