If the face belongs to an identifiable real person, yes. If it's a character generated from a text description with no real-person reference, no licence exists to need. Between those two, the answer is decided by what went into the generation rather than what you intend to do with it. And a licence that exists can still exclude the use you have in mind.
Most guidance stops at "get a licence." The harder question is what a licence has to contain to be worth having, and which use it most often doesn't cover.
When is a licence required at all?
Four cases, and only one of them needs a licence from someone else.
A character generated from a text description needs no likeness licence, because nobody's likeness is present. Your own face, uploaded, needs documented consent — but you're the person giving it. A human creator cast from a library arrives with a licence already in place.
The case that catches people is a fourth one that looks like the first: a character generated using photographs of a real person. Fictional name, fictional role, real likeness inside it. That needs a licence from the person in the photograph.
| Whose face | Licence needed? | From whom |
|---|---|---|
| Generated from a text description, no real-person reference | No | Nobody — no likeness is present |
| Your own, uploaded | A consent record rather than a licence | Yourself, documented |
| A human creator from a library | Already in place | The platform holds it. Your job is checking the scope |
| A "fictional" character generated from real photographs | Yes | The person in those photographs |
Source: Hexcoded Actor Licence and Terms of Service, checked September 2026. Requirements vary by jurisdiction.
Where this falls short. A generated character can resemble a real person without any reference to them, and a claim turns on resemblance rather than intent. No licence is available for a resemblance you didn't design, which is why noting what created a character matters even in row one.
What does a likeness licence actually contain?
Six things. A licence missing any of them isn't finished.
Who is depicted, and how identity was established
Named, with evidence they are who they say they are. Hexcoded's onboarding includes a liveness check and a face-match — processed through AWS Rekognition — and a likeness can't be published without passing. When you cast, you're shown a consent-verified receipt.
What they consented to
The specific uses, not a general permission. On Hexcoded that consent is a timestamped clickwrap record, kept permanently as proof it existed.
Media and territory
Which channels, which countries. This is the clause that decides where the work can run, and it's what the next section is about.
Duration, and what it applies to
Two different things. How long new generation remains available, and what happens to work already delivered. On Hexcoded the licence on delivered content is perpetual — what can end is the ability to generate more.
Custody and deletion
Where the likeness files are held, who can reach them, and when they're destroyed. Hexcoded keeps the consent record permanently and keeps master face and voice recordings only while brand content generated with that likeness remains licensed, then deletes or irreversibly anonymises them.
Payment terms
Amount, trigger, and whether payment recurs. On Hexcoded actors earn every time a paying brand generates with their likeness, with no fixed rate card and the amount for each render shown in their own dashboard. Accrued earnings never expire, and rate changes apply only to future use.
Payment for creation is not payment for use, and a licence that conflates them is a licence you'll renegotiate.
That distinction is the most common paperwork error in independently produced work. A single fee at the outset buys you a file. Payment on each use buys you a licence, and the two behave completely differently once the work starts running.
Which use is most often excluded?
Offline, and it's the reverse of what people expect.
The assumption is usually that paid advertising is the risky category. On Hexcoded's licence it isn't — paid ads and organic posts on online platforms are expressly covered, as are the brand's own websites and apps.
What the licence doesn't cover is anything off a screen. Television, print, outdoor and other offline use require a separate written agreement.
So the question isn't "can I run this as an ad." It's "will this ever leave a digital surface." A campaign that starts online and later goes to broadcast or out-of-home crosses the line the licence actually draws.
Where this falls short. That's Hexcoded's licence. Other platforms and directly engaged performers draw the line elsewhere, and some do exclude paid media. The instruction that generalises is to read the media clause rather than assume where it falls.
What can you do to the footage afterwards?
Less than you might assume, and this is the constraint that catches narrative producers.
Hexcoded's licence permits light edits only — trimming, cropping, captions and subtitles, music, end-cards. What it prohibits is re-generating, morphing, re-voicing or otherwise altering a face or voice outside Hexcoded.
Colour, cuts, sound design and titles are fine. Anything touching the performance has to happen on the platform.
It isn't only a contractual point. The acceptable use policy lists using an actor's licensed likeness outside the licensed scope as a prohibited use, which makes it an enforcement matter — the policy provides for content removal, suspension or termination, and says serious or repeated violations end access without refund.
What can the actor do after you've cast them?
Stop new use, at any time.
This is the provision most likely to affect a long-running production and the least discussed. An actor can withdraw their likeness from new generation whenever they choose, effective promptly. Content already generated and delivered stays valid — the licence on it is perpetual.
For a single ad that's immaterial. For a seventy-episode series it's a specific exposure: your lead could become uncastable at episode 41 while episodes 1 to 40 remain perfectly usable. Recasting mid-arc in a continuous series is a visible break rather than a fix.
The mirror of that is worth knowing too. Accrued earnings never expire, rate changes apply only to future use, and on death heirs may ask that new use stops with unpaid earnings passing to the estate.
How does this work on a library platform?
The licence is signed before you arrive, which changes what you're checking.
The performer has already agreed to a defined set of uses and the platform holds that agreement. Your job isn't to negotiate it — it's to confirm the defined set includes what you're about to do, which for Hexcoded means digital surfaces and light edits only.
Two practical notes. Hexcoded accepts actors globally rather than from a single market, so the pool isn't regionally limited. And real human actors sit above the entry plan — the plan comparison shows them starting at Starter rather than Basic, so a shoot built around a real face needs a paid tier that supports it.
What law governs the licence?
Worth reading rather than assuming, especially if you're not in India.
Hexcoded's actor licence and terms are governed by the laws of India, with jurisdiction in the courts at Gurugram, Haryana. The operator is Anycast Technology Private Limited. Liability under the terms is limited to the amount you paid in the month before a claim.
None of that is unusual for a platform licence. It does mean that if something goes wrong at scale, the forum and the ceiling are both defined in advance and neither is where a US buyer would assume.
Where this falls short. You're choosing from a library rather than casting the exact face you imagined, and the defined use set is fixed rather than negotiable. For a campaign needing an unusual media grant, engaging a performer directly may be the only route.
Current as of the publication date. Platform licence terms differ and change. Hexcoded's actor licence and terms are governed by the laws of India, with jurisdiction in Gurugram, Haryana. Nothing in this post is legal advice — have a lawyer read any licence you're relying on commercially.
- If an identifiable real person appears, you need a licence. What you intended doesn't change that
- A "fictional" character generated from real photographs is a real likeness. The reference decides it, not the name
- Read the media clause for what it excludes. On Hexcoded that's offline — paid online advertising is covered
- Light edits only where an actor appears. No re-voicing or re-generating outside the platform, and it's an enforcement matter rather than a footnote
- Payment for creation isn't payment for use. Conflating them is the most common paperwork error
- An actor can stop new use at any time. Delivered content stays valid; new generation doesn't
- Custody and deletion are ongoing obligations, not a final step
- On a library platform, confirm the defined use set covers your job. You're checking, not negotiating
- Check the governing law. Hexcoded's licence is Indian law with jurisdiction in Gurugram
If the face belongs to an identifiable real person, yes. A character generated from a text description with no real-person reference needs no likeness licence. A character generated from a real person's photographs needs one, regardless of how fictional the character is.
Six things: who is depicted and how their identity was verified, what specific uses they consented to, the media and territory covered, the duration and what it applies to, custody and deletion terms, and payment terms including whether payment recurs.
On Hexcoded, yes — the licence covers paid ads and organic posts on online platforms, plus your own websites and apps. What it excludes is offline use: television, print and outdoor need a separate written agreement. Other platforms draw the line differently, so read the media clause rather than assuming.
Light edits only — trimming, cropping, captions, music and end-cards. You may not re-generate, morph, re-voice or otherwise alter the face or voice outside Hexcoded, and doing so is listed as a prohibited use rather than merely a breach of terms.
New generation stops, and content you've already generated and delivered stays valid — the licence on it is perpetual. For a long-running series that's a real planning consideration: your lead could become uncastable mid-arc while the finished episodes remain usable.
Hexcoded's actor licence and terms are governed by the laws of India, with jurisdiction in the courts at Gurugram, Haryana. Liability under the terms is limited to the amount paid in the month before a claim. Worth reading rather than assuming if you're contracting from elsewhere.
Consent verified, paid every render
Over 1,000 human creators with the agreement already in place — a liveness check and face-match passed, a timestamped consent record, and earnings on every render. The scope is published: digital surfaces, light edits, offline by separate agreement.
Read the actor licenceMore on characters, consent and reusable elements in Elements.