AI Video Commercial Use Rights: Can It Go in a Client Ad?

Short answer: AI video commercial use rights come from the tool's terms and, on some tools, from the plan you pay for. They are not the same everywhere. Runway's Terms of Use, last updated September 15, 2026 and read on September 27, 2026, say the company "does not restrict your commercial use of your Outputs," subject to the agreement. Pika's pricing page on the same date listed its commercial license as "Not included" on the Free and Starter plans and "Included" from the Creator plan up. So the same client ad can be allowed on one tool and outside the license on another. Before a clip goes into paid work, read the terms for your tool and your plan.

This article describes what vendor documents say. It is not legal advice, and it does not analyze copyright law. For a commercial project that matters, the vendor's terms and your own lawyer decide.

Three separate questions hide inside "can I use this commercially?"

When a client asks whether an AI clip is cleared for their advert, they are really asking three things at once:

1. Does my contract with the tool allow commercial use of this output? This is set by the vendor's terms and sometimes by your plan.
2. What rights does the tool keep over what I made? Many terms grant you use of the output while giving the vendor its own license to it.
3. Is there anything in the clip that the tool cannot license to me at all? A recognizable person, a brand logo, music, or material you uploaded yourself.

A plan labeled "commercial license included" answers the first question only. The other two still need checking.

Question 1: what the vendor's terms and plan say

Some tools set commercial rights in the terms for everyone

Runway's Terms of Use, last updated September 15, 2026, state in section 4.4 that "The Company does not claim ownership of any of your Inputs or Outputs" and that, "Subject to your compliance with the Agreement, the Company does not restrict your commercial use of your Outputs." We did not find a plan-specific commercial restriction in that document when we read it on September 27, 2026. That does not remove the other limits in the agreement, such as acceptable use rules, so the full terms still apply.

Other tools tie the commercial license to the plan

Pika's pricing page, read on September 27, 2026, listed the license by plan:

On that page, the cheapest plan listing a commercial license was Creator. A clip that looks identical on Starter and Creator can therefore sit under different permissions. If you work for clients, this is the table to check before you pick a plan, not after the job is delivered.

Things to look for in any tool's terms

Every vendor words this differently, so read for the substance:

• Who owns the output, or whether the vendor says it does not claim ownership.
• Whether commercial use is allowed on your plan, and whether the license follows the plan you were on when you generated or your current plan. If the terms do not say, ask the vendor in writing.
• Whether advertising is treated differently from other commercial use.
• Whether any output is covered by an indemnity, meaning the vendor takes on some legal risk. Where this exists, it is usually spelled out in specific plan or enterprise terms, so look for it rather than assume it.
• The "last updated" date. Terms change. Save a copy or a dated screenshot of the version in force when you made the clip.

Question 2: what the tool keeps

"You can use it commercially" does not mean "only you can use it." Runway's Terms of Use, section 4.4, also say that you grant the company "a non-exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, fully paid, transferable, sublicensable right and license" to your inputs and outputs, for purposes that include "training and improving its AI models, algorithms and related technology."

That kind of clause matters most in client work. If a client sends you unreleased product shots or confidential material to animate, uploading it may grant the vendor rights over it under that tool's terms. Some clients' contracts forbid exactly that. Check both documents: the vendor's terms and your agreement with the client. If they conflict, that is a conversation to have with the client before you generate, not after.

Some vendors offer settings or plans that change how inputs and outputs are used. Where that exists, it will be in the vendor's own documentation, and it is worth confirming for your plan.

Question 3: what no plan can license to you

A vendor can only license what it controls. Several things commonly show up in AI video that sit outside any tool's license:

• Real people's likeness and voice. If a clip shows or sounds like an identifiable person, consent and publicity rules may apply regardless of the tool's terms.
• Trademarks and logos. A brand that appears in a generated scene is not cleared by your plan.
• Your own inputs. If you uploaded an image, a clip or a track you did not have rights to, the output does not launder it.
• Music and sound. Audio generated or added inside a video tool may carry its own terms. Check them separately.
• Copyright protection for the output itself. Whether a clip can be protected by copyright is a legal question the vendor's terms do not settle. The U.S. Copyright Office publishes its Copyright and Artificial Intelligence report, including Part 2 on copyrightability, released January 29, 2025. That is the primary source to read, alongside a lawyer, if protection of the finished ad matters to your client.

Platform rules are a separate layer

Even with full commercial rights from the tool, the platform where the ad or video runs has its own rules for synthetic media. A license from the vendor does not satisfy a platform's disclosure requirement. Our guides to YouTube's synthetic content disclosure toggle and TikTok and Instagram AI labeling cover when each platform expects a label. If the video is for a monetized channel rather than an ad, how YouTube treats mass produced content and monetization is the other rule to know.

A pre-delivery checklist for client work

Before you hand an AI-generated clip to a client, it helps to be able to answer each of these in writing:

1. Which tool and which plan made this clip, and on what date?
2. What do that tool's terms say about commercial use on that plan? Keep the dated version.
3. What license does the vendor take to inputs and outputs, and does the client's contract allow that?
4. Does the clip contain any person, voice, logo or uploaded material that needs its own clearance?
5. Where will it run, and what does that platform require for AI disclosure?
6. Has the client been told the clip is AI-generated, and agreed to that?

If any answer is "I do not know," that is the item to resolve first. For generic shots where the rights picture feels too uncertain, licensed stock footage is sometimes the simpler route, and we compare the two in AI video vs stock footage.

Why keeping records matters

Commercial rights questions often come up long after a clip is made: a client's legal team asks, a platform queries an ad, or a vendor changes its terms. At that point, "I think I was on the paid plan" is weak. A simple record of the tool, plan, date, prompt, any uploaded inputs, and a saved copy of the terms version turns a hard question into a quick answer. It costs a few minutes per project.

What this article does not do

It does not tell you whether a specific clip is legally safe to use, and it does not interpret copyright law. It quotes two vendors' documents as they read on September 27, 2026, to show how differently tools handle commercial rights. Terms change, and your situation may differ. For a paid campaign, ask a lawyer who can read your contracts.

FAQ

Can I use AI-generated video in a client's advert?

It depends on the tool's terms and, on some tools, your plan. Runway's Terms of Use, read on September 27, 2026, say it does not restrict commercial use of outputs, subject to the agreement. Pika's pricing page on the same date listed a commercial license only from its Creator plan up. Check your tool and plan, and your client's contract.

Do free plans allow commercial use of AI video?

Some do not. Pika's Free and Starter plans were listed without a commercial license on September 27, 2026. Other tools set commercial rights in their general terms. Read the terms for the plan you actually used.

If the tool says I own the output, can the vendor still use it?

It can, if the terms grant the vendor a license. Runway's terms say it does not claim ownership of outputs but also grant it a perpetual license to inputs and outputs, including for training and improving its models.

Does a commercial license cover a real person's face or a brand logo in the clip?

No vendor can license rights it does not hold. Likeness, voice, trademarks and uploaded material need their own clearance. Ask a lawyer if the clip includes any of these.

Is AI-generated video protected by copyright?

That is a legal question outside what a tool's terms can answer. The U.S. Copyright Office's report on copyrightability is the primary source to read, together with advice from a lawyer in your jurisdiction.