Shutterstock Enterprise license types that are tailored to your needs. Learn more about each type and which is best for you.
Today’s marketers rely on multiple types of content and media to successfully represent their brand across a myriad of platforms. Whether you lead an advertising agency or represent an in-house team, it’s important to have access to a wide range of content that allows you to develop effective omnichannel marketing campaigns.
Of course, you know Shutterstock as a leader in providing high-quality, royalty-free stock creative. Many companies have licensing needs that surpass the offerings of the standard Shutterstock plans and pricing, though. That’s where our Enterprise licenses come in, offering tailored solutions for diverse marketing needs.
To answer some of the most common questions about Shutterstock Enterprise accounts, we spoke with Chloe Rice, Shutterstock’s global Director of Customer Experience. You can explore her valuable insights into the nuances of Enterprise licenses throughout this blog post, or you can click the button below to learn more.
Comparing Shutterstock’s Enterprise License Types
Before we get too deep, it’s important to know that there are two types of Shutterstock Enterprise license types that are tailored to your needs.
- Premier licenses types are primarily for companies that need full indemnification, third-party transfer rights, or that fall under sensitive use guidelines. We’ll go into more detail below but, at a high level, many companies want full legal indemnification for peace of mind, to appease their legal departments, or because their subject matter comes with more risk. Political organizations and pharmaceutical companies, in particular, often ascribe beliefs or medical concerns to models, which is considered a sensitive use, and comes with more risk. And, frequently, companies that work with third parties, like ad agencies, need the ability to transfer use rights to their clients, so they would need the third-party usage coverage of a Premier license.
- Media license types are generally ideal for companies with a lower level of risk or don’t need third-party transfer rights. Some examples might include finance, retail, and fashion.
Enterprise accounts deliver the highest level of flexibility and peace of mind. Meanwhile, standard Shutterstock flex plans typically limit account holders to a single seat* and do not allow storage or reuse. Standard flex plans also have limitations on print runs.
*Note: The sole exception here is the Shutterstock flex plan for teams, which offers limited indemnification for a maximum of 10 users pulling from a set number of credits. Because it’s generally not a fit for enterprise clients, this article focuses primarily on Premier and Media plans.
Comparing Shutterstock’s Enterprise License Types
Are you asking “What is best for my company?” Rice explains that it’s not about asking what you can do with your enterprise license. Instead, think about whether or not limitations may get in the way of your work.
“Both types of Enterprise licenses—media and premier—are so comprehensive, allowing clients to do so much that determining the best one for a client is more about defining the limitations of what they can’t do,” says Rice.
With that in mind, we developed this at-a-glance table to help you understand each license type in greater detail:
PREMIER vs. MEDIA LICENCE TYPE (Images and Footage only)
| Media | Premier | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of users | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Royalty-Free, worldwide use in perpetuity | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Indemnification per asset | $10k or 50% Spend | Uncapped Indemnification |
| 3rd party transfer rights | – | ✔️ |
| Archiving rights | ✔️ | ✔️ |
| Sensitive use available | – | ✔️ |
| Wall art, web template, merchandise | – | ✔️ |
Benefits of Shutterstock Licenses for Enterprises
Client Storage, Multiple Uses, and Unlimited Users
Enterprise clients can store creative for access by team members in different departments or locations. While standard licenses cover use for a single user, Enterprise clients can use each piece of content multiple times in different ways with unlimited users.
So, if you’re asking, “Can I pay for a Shutterstock stock image once and use it again?” You absolutely can as an Enterprise customer.
Annual Volume Options that Meet Your Needs
Based on your needs and how you’ll be using the content, an account executive can recommend a Shutterstock annual subscription for your team. Alternatively, a Shutterstock monthly subscription may be your best option, based on your unique needs.
Either way, as an Enterprise customer, you can be confident that your licenses come with the level of indemnification you need.
To explain further, indemnification is full legal and financial protection for stock content. Think of it like insurance. Shutterstock will reimburse you financially for legal costs incurred if a claim is filed against you for violating copyright, trademarks, publicity rights, or anything related to intellectual property.
Gain Access to White Glove Service
When you partner with Shutterstock Enterprise, you’re not just accessing a platform, you’re connecting with a dynamic group of content creators—strategists and seasoned professionals with deep roots in a wide variety of industries and disciplines.
Customers can tap into Shutterstock’s dynamic team of creative minds to provide outside resources, help if you’re strapped for time, or simply provide fresh eyes to review your ideas.
“Outside of safeguarding your interests with indemnification, one of the most important benefits for Shutterstock’s Enterprise clients is direct access to our passionate team. Their collective expertise, especially in content strategy and research, is unparalleled,” says Rice.
Some of the ways our internal teams support Shutterstock Enterprise accounts include:
Understanding Sensitive Use
Some industries, such as pharma and politics, may require licenses that include sensitive use rights. Sensitive uses are uses that depict a model in a way that a reasonable person could find offensive, such as medicating for a physical or mental ailment, or in connection with political advertising.
Those Enterprise customers almost certainly need the Premier license, which, in addition to covering sensitive use, provides full indemnification. After all, when a stock image appears with a political message or description of ailments, it may be seen as ascribing those beliefs or symptoms to the model.
The Premier license provides full legal indemnification, meaning that in the event of a claim involving the rights to use an image, Shutterstock will defend, indemnify, and hold the customer harmless against certain legal risks.
This provides peace of mind that all of their uses are covered.
What Are Third-Party Transfer Rights?
When Shutterstock Enterprise customers work with third parties, the Premier license covers them for full rights transfers. What does that mean exactly?
For example, ad agencies work almost exclusively for other companies as their clients—also known as third parties. For their clients to run creative content containing stock images, music, or videos, ad agencies usually need to be able to transfer usage rights. For agencies or people who work with clients and need to transfer creative rights to them, the Shutterstock Premier pricing plan is generally their best option.
Understanding Levels of Indemnification
Although we touched on this above, Shutterstock Enterprise accounts get the highest level of indemnification, or protection against financial and legal liabilities. These protections give users the utmost peace of mind.
Media licenses come with $10,000 of indemnification protection per item of content. This can increase upon request. Meanwhile, Premier licenses come with uncapped indemnification, which frequently appeases concerns of legal departments and ensures that customers can use the images however they like.
“You want to know that whatever type of stock content you select, your indemnification is going to be right so you can use it globally in perpetuity, and know that your legal team is on board, so you don’t have to think about it,” Rice says. “That’s the beauty of the indemnity in Shutterstock Enterprise licenses.”
Top Considerations When Choosing a Shutterstock License Type
Ultimately, Shutterstock will work to understand your business and guide you to the right licenses. Some of the questions we’ll ask include:
- How big is your company? When we know the number of employees, offices, and locations, we can start to narrow down the type of license that’s best for you.
- What type of work do you do? Often, your industry clearly indicates the license you’ll need. So, for example, if you’re in a sensitive use category or work with third parties, we’ll know that we need to guide you to Premier.
- How many people might need access? While Shutterstock Enterprise licenses offer unlimited users, this gives us more background on your company and the type of white-glove services you need from our internal teams. These could include things like getting insights on trends, support gathering images, and research assistance.
- How do you plan to use the content? Understanding the types of platforms, whether you need a “den” of content to use across the organization, and how you might repurpose content helps us identify an appropriate level of indemnification, which is a key indication of the license you need.
“Ultimately, the scope of license that comes with Shutterstock Enterprise license types makes work easy for our clients and delivers true peace of mind,” Rice says. “What has really struck me over the last eight years is that people are simply amazed at how simple licensing can be.”
Shutterstock Enterprise licenses are designed to help you do your job seamlessly with top-notch content. We’re sharing this article to answer the common questions, but the truth is that our team is here to help every step of the way.
Shutterstock Enterprise licenses are designed to help you do your job seamlessly with top-notch content. We’re sharing this article to answer the common questions, but the truth is that our team is here to help every step of the way.
Ready to get started? Request a quote today!
Before you take off! Check out Shutterstock Flex. With Shutterstock Flex, you’ll have all-in-one access to our massive library, plus the FLEXibility you need to select the perfect mix of assets every time.
License this cover image via MedRocky.
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