Check each proposed source asset before uploading it, and hold back anything whose ownership, permission or confidentiality status is unresolved. Runway's ownership statement does not establish that you were entitled to submit someone else's material in the first place.
Make the register before the prompt
Start with the files the production intends to use, not just the files visible in the final edit. A reference image or background texture can raise review questions even if it is heavily transformed later.
As an editorial precaution, use original, non-sensitive working assets. Do not upload customer records, private material or confidential briefs. If a project depends on such material, stop and redesign the example or seek an approved, appropriately reviewed workflow without exposing it.
Record seven fields for every asset
Give each file a stable identifier and complete these fields:
- Owner or source: Who created it, and who is providing permission?
- Provenance: Where did this exact file come from?
- Intended transformation: Describe the proposed operation in ordinary language, without assuming a tool supports it.
- Permitted use: What evidence addresses upload, modification and intended publication?
- Permission evidence: Save the relevant agreement, licence version or written clarification.
- Unresolved restrictions: Flag people, brands, distribution limits, confidentiality or unclear wording.
- Decision: Approved for this workflow, awaiting clarification or excluded, with reviewer and date.
Keep purchase evidence and permission evidence distinct. A payment record answers a different question from the scope of an agreement.
Hypothetical example: a Jaipur design film
Suppose a creator plans a 12-second conceptual film with three inputs: an original geometric drawing, a purchased textile photograph and an image found in a messaging group.
For the drawing, the creator records their authorship and checks whether it includes borrowed elements. For the purchased photograph, they locate the applicable licence and review the proposed transformation. The messaging-group image has no reliable creator or permission trail.
Evaluate the inputs independently. The first may proceed after its review, the second remains pending, and the third is excluded unless provenance and permission can be established. Replacing the third image with a new original sketch is a practical next step; cropping it does not answer the missing-permission question.
Freeze the approved input set
Before production, save the approved register alongside the selected asset versions. Any replacement file gets a fresh review rather than inheriting approval from a similarly named asset.
If choosing access next, consult the AI tools catalog, check access format and save offer terms before buying. Marketplace account/code/token offers are not proof of official subscription equivalence. Keep procurement records separate from asset permissions.
Sources and scope
Runway usage rights establishes ownership language “as between you and Runway”; it does not document permissions for these hypothetical inputs. Source material checked 29 October 2026; features/policies may change. The register is editorial risk-management advice, not legal advice.