Define: Media Product
In a contract, Media Product refers to any globally accessible media output, whether tangible or digital, that incorporates copyrighted or intellectual property content and is made available for public consumption. The term typically appears in licensing, distribution, or intellectual property clauses to define the scope of content subject to rights, obligations, or restrictions between the parties.
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What Media Product Means in a Contract
Media Product is a defined term used to capture the full range of creative or informational outputs that a party produces, licenses, or distributes for public access. It covers physical items such as printed publications, films on physical media, and packaged software, as well as purely digital outputs such as streamed video, downloadable applications, and online publications. The unifying feature is that the item embeds copyright or other intellectual property and is intended for consumption by an audience beyond the contracting parties.
Because the definition is deliberately broad, it functions as an umbrella category rather than a description of a single format. Drafters use it so that a single set of obligations, whether about quality, ownership, or distribution, can apply uniformly across many different kinds of output without listing each format individually.
This breadth also means that a Media Product clause often works alongside more specific definitions, such as Content, Deliverables, or Licensed Materials, each of which may narrow or expand the scope depending on the agreement's purpose.
How Media Product Is Defined or Measured
Most agreements measure whether something qualifies as a Media Product by reference to two criteria: accessibility and intellectual property content. Accessibility usually means the item is, or is intended to be, available to the public or a defined audience rather than confined to internal use. Intellectual property content means the item incorporates copyrighted works, trademarks, or other protected material owned or licensed by one of the parties.
Some contracts add further qualifiers, such as requiring that the product be finished, published, or commercially released, to distinguish a Media Product from a draft, prototype, or internal working file. Others specify delivery formats, file types, or platforms as illustrative examples without limiting the definition.
- Tangible items: printed books, physical discs, packaged merchandise incorporating copyrighted artwork.
- Digital items: streaming video, mobile applications, e-books, podcasts, and websites.
- Hybrid items: products combining physical packaging with embedded digital or licensed content.
Where Media Product Appears in Agreements
The term commonly appears in Relevant Circumstances