Compare AI data licensing offers

Who this Sheet is for

Use this free AI data licensing offer comparison Sheet when your company has a written proposal, term sheet, or draft agreement. Put each buyer's offer in a separate column. You can also use it for one offer to identify what is still missing.

The Sheet has columns for Offer A, Offer B, and an optional Offer C. It separates the money from ten questions about the records, rights, work, and risks. Finish with the three questions you most need the buyers to answer.

If you only have an introductory message, first ask for written terms. Read what to do when an AI company wants to buy your data.

How to use the comparison Sheet

• Make your own copy and check that its sharing is restricted before entering confidential terms. Do not put offer details in the public template.
• Record who sent each offer, what document they sent, and its date. Compare the same version of each proposal throughout.
• Fill in the money fields, then answer all ten questions. Put a source marker beside every amount, condition, and answer.
• Use [Unstated] when the offer gives no answer. A blank term is not permission, a promise, or a zero cost.

The Sheet counts blank and [Unstated] answers in the ten-question section. Use that count to find gaps, not to score the buyer or choose a winner. One unresolved rights question can matter more than several missing administrative details.

Compare the money before judging the headline price

Record fixed cash separately from possible extra payments. Keep payment conditions visible beside the amounts.

• Fixed cash proposed. Note payments at signing, after delivery, and any fixed later installments. Record the currency.
• When fixed cash is payable. Identify what counts as delivery, how acceptance works, the deadline to accept or reject, any rework requirement, and the payment due date.
• Possible extra payments. Record revenue share or bonuses, the rate, the sales base, and reporting terms. Do not treat a conditional amount as fixed cash.
• Costs paid by your company. Identify who pays for data preparation, legal work, advisor fees, and any required support.

Compare the data and rights alongside the payment. An offer covering historical records only is not equivalent to one that also requires future records, staff time, or exclusivity.

Ten questions to compare in every offer

1. Which company is legally responsible for paying you?

Name the entity that must pay under the agreement. Is it the company contacting you, a different signer, or an intermediary? Do not assume the sender and the payer are the same.

2. Exactly which records are included, and excluded?

List the systems, record types, years, and exclusions. Identify customer or third-party material within that scope. Check that each offer describes the same asset before comparing its price.

3. What new data or staff time must you provide later?

Check future records, updates, support, and labeling. How often must you provide them, and when does the obligation end? Include the work your team would need to do after the initial delivery.

4. Do you have the right to license every included record?

Check customer and employee commitments, vendor terms, and records you only have permission to use. Flag uncertain rights for qualified counsel before promising that the full scope can be licensed.

5. What uses are allowed, and who else can receive the data?

Check training, evaluation, and use in products. Do the rights extend to affiliates or other AI labs? Can the buyer share, sublicense, or resell the data? Record the limits, not only the broad purpose.

6. Can you still use the data and license it to others?

If the offer is exclusive, identify which data, uses, territories, and time period it covers. Check restrictions on similar data as well as the licensed records, and whether your own use remains allowed.

7. Who can access raw records, and who approves release?

Does anyone get access to your systems? Identify who removes sensitive details, where processing happens, and who approves the package that leaves your company. Keep access and release approval separate.

8. What protects your customers, staff, and business methods?

Check terms on contacting customers or employees, disclosing your methods, and access by competitors. Record whether those protections also apply to affiliates and anyone receiving the data through the buyer.

9. If something goes wrong, who must act and pay?

Compare your promises with the buyer's duties. Check breach notice, responsibility for responding, legal costs, and liability limits. Flag unclear or open-ended obligations for specialist review.

10. What can the buyer keep or use after the agreement ends?

Check termination rights and deletion requirements. What happens to copies, prior sublicenses, and trained models? Record any rights that continue after termination rather than assuming everything stops at once.

Show where each answer came from

Use the Sheet's source markers so a written term is not confused with a conversation:

• [Draft p. 2] identifies a term in the offer or draft. Give the actual page or section.
• [Signed p. 4] identifies a term in a signed agreement.
• [Buyer said Oct 8] identifies a call or email statement. Ask for it in the written terms.
• [Unstated] means the offer does not answer the question. Keep the marker until it is clarified.

Turn the gaps into questions for buyers

Fill in the three questions at the top last. Name the buyer and ask for a specific missing term or clarification. Prioritize questions that could change whether you can supply the records, what rights you give up, or whether you get paid.

The Sheet organizes your comparison. It does not choose the best offer or replace legal, privacy, or other specialist review.

Want help interpreting the terms? Request a free offer review. Share a summary, not raw company records or confidential files.