MANDATUMman-DAH-tum
Managed Data Licensing
Mandatum is Latin for a charge entrusted to someone, the root of “mandate.” A brokerage mandate is exactly that: a defined authority to represent your approved dataset, and nothing beyond it.
A managed licensing process for your proprietary data.
Engagements are subject to dataset review. Buyer participation, offers, timing, and licensing revenue are not promised.
Preparation fees and any brokerage retainer or commission are agreed separately, in writing, before work begins.
Monetizing a trained model, an agent, or a training environment rather than a dataset? Sophrono’s Emporion service handles that.
Is this for you?
- Companies with a distinctive dataset, an accountable data owner, and a plausible chain of licensing authority
- Data owners who want a structured buyer process instead of answering inbound requests one at a time
- Teams that want offers compared on rights, exclusivity, and obligations, not only the headline amount
The problem
Inbound interest is not a licensing process.
AI developers are looking for distinctive, well-documented data: technical manuals, resolved operational tasks with outcomes, approved code and issue histories, process libraries. Many companies hold exactly that, and some are already fielding requests.
Answering those requests one at a time leaves a data owner negotiating alone, without a comparison, a disclosure plan, or a record of what was shared. A public intake form on a buyer’s site is not a relationship, and a single offer is not a market.
How we work
An accountable process for one approved asset.
We sell organized representation: a mandate, documented buyer fit, authorized disclosure, a comparison where offers exist, and implementation of the terms you agree. The default is a direct license from you to the buyer, with Copia acting under a limited mandate.
Disclosure is progressive. A teaser goes out first, then the brief, then samples, each only on your approval and only to screened recipients. When offers arrive, we compare the license, not only the price.
Dataset candidates
Where representation tends to fit.
Candidates, not automatic eligibility. Each needs a fit review of authority, provenance, and sensitivity.
- Manufacturing
Equipment documentation
Company-authored manuals, maintenance procedures, and fault libraries with resolutions.
- Field services
Resolved work orders
Operational tasks with the actions taken and the observed outcome.
- Software
Code and issue histories
Approved repositories with issues, reviews, and fixes, after dependency and license review.
- Professional services
Process libraries
Authorized templates, checklists, and procedures written by your own staff.
- Energy and utilities
Inspection records
Structured inspection findings and remediation steps, with sensitive locations reviewed.
- Media and publishing
Owned archives
Content the company owns outright, with contributor terms checked by counsel.
- Logistics
Exception handling logs
Decisions and outcomes on delayed, damaged, or rerouted shipments.
- Training and education
Demonstrations
Appropriately sourced recordings or walkthroughs of expert work.
What you receive
Asset positioning
A dataset brief and supporting materials built around the approved asset, its intended uses, quality evidence, and delivery options.
Buyer research and outreach
An outreach plan and target map with reasons for fit. You approve the materials and every recipient before contact.
Evaluation coordination
Authorized sample review, technical questions, and diligence requests, managed through a controlled process.
Offer comparison
Offers set side by side: cash, rights, exclusivity, obligations, liability allocation, and your proceeds after agreed fees.
Closing coordination
Commercial steps coordinated with your decision-makers and counsel, plus delivery, acceptance, and collection tracking.
Ongoing administration
Renewal and update calendars, rights compatibility checks, and statements tied to the agreements you sign.
How it works
Fit review
You describe the dataset, how it was created, and who can authorize its use. No raw data. We may recommend a narrower scope, preparation, another route, or not proceeding.
Mandate
A written mandate names the approved asset, the activities, the fee mechanism, and which receipts are commissionable.
Materials
We prepare the dataset brief, teaser, and diligence checklist. You approve each before it leaves your company.
Outreach and evaluation
Approved recipients only. Samples are released through the agreed access process, never by default.
Offers and closing
We compare offers, coordinate with your counsel, and track delivery, acceptance, and collection.
Offer comparison
Compare licenses, not only prices.
Every offer is set out on the same terms, so the trade-offs are visible before you and your counsel decide.
| Term | The question it answers |
|---|---|
| Cash and timing | How much is paid, when, and on what trigger? |
| Permitted uses | Training, evaluation, retrieval, or all three, and for which models? |
| Exclusivity | Does it limit later licenses, in which fields, and for how long? |
| Delivery obligations | What must you deliver, refresh, or support, and at what cost? |
| Liability allocation | Who carries which risks if a rights question arises? |
| Proceeds after fees | What reaches you after the agreed commission and expenses? |
Illustrative. Your counsel reviews every agreement; Copia does not give legal opinions.
Client reporting
What we report during a mandate.
Collections, not deal headlines, are the measure that matters. Reports follow the activities named in the mandate.
- Outreach status
- Recipients contacted, responses, and declines, against the approved target map.
- Evaluations
- Samples released, diligence questions answered, and open requests.
- Offers
- Each offer received, compared on the same terms.
- Collections
- Receipts collected under signed licenses, and what is still due.
Common concerns
What data owners ask before they sign.
- Sensitive sources
- Customer communications, employee records, and confidential client work need additional review before any access or use.
- Licensing authority
- A denied or unknown answer on who can authorize a license blocks sample requests until it is settled.
- Pre-existing buyers
- Buyers already in discussion with you are named in the mandate, with how they are treated for commission.
- Dual roles
- Resale, sublicensing in our own name, principal purchases, and dual representation need separately approved terms and risk review.
Who does what
Who decides, who advises, and who does the work.
Your team
- Authorize the asset and its scope
- Approve materials, recipients, and samples
- Decide on offers with counsel
- Sign the license agreement
Copia
- Prepare the brief and diligence room
- Research buyers and run approved outreach
- Coordinate evaluations and compare offers
- Track delivery, acceptance, and collection
Afterward
Where clients go next.
Each route stands on its own. You choose, and nothing starts without your approval.
Prepare first
If quality or documentation gaps would weaken the process, scope a preparation project.
Renew or extend
Renewals and updates are tracked against the agreements you signed.
Sell the next one direct
Once a relationship exists, Direct-Sale Enablement can support later deals without a new commission mandate.
Before the first call
What to have ready.
- A high-level description of the dataset and how it was created
- The accountable data owner and who can approve a license
- Prior licenses, exclusivity, and buyers already in discussion
- Your counsel’s contact for rights and terms
Related services
Data licensing inquiry
Describe the dataset. A fit review comes first.
Tell us what the proposed dataset contains, how it was created, and who can authorize its use. We begin with a description, not raw data. We may recommend a narrower scope, a preparation project, a different route, or not proceeding.
What happens next
- A documented review against our fit criteria
- Compliance review first when sensitive data or authority is uncertain
- A reply by email, usually inviting a fit review call
- A written proposal before any engagement starts
No uploads. No attachments. No connectors to your systems.
Engagements are subject to dataset review. Buyer participation, offers, timing, and licensing revenue are not promised.
Every engagement is set out in a written proposal and agreement. Fees, rights, and obligations are governed by those documents.
Who does what
Your data owner approves. Copia runs the process.
Every disclosure, recipient, and term is approved by a named person at your company.
- Your data ownerAuthorizes the asset, approves every disclosure and recipient, and signs any license with counsel.
- Your counselReviews rights, terms, and the license agreement. We coordinate; we do not give legal opinions.
- Copia leadRuns the mandate: brief, target map, outreach, evaluation, offer comparison, and client reporting.
- Copia data engineerAnswers technical diligence, prepares approved samples, and validates delivery against the agreement.
What the mandate sets out
Scope, approvals, and fees, agreed in writing.
- The mandate names the approved dataset, the permitted activities, and the term.
- You approve the materials, the recipients, and any sample release before each happens.
- The proposal states any preparation fee, retainer, approved expenses, and success commission, and which receipts are commissionable.
- Renewals, pre-existing buyers, cancellations, and any retainer credit are handled as written in the mandate.
How fees work
Every fee named in your proposal.
Your proposal identifies any preparation fee, brokerage retainer, approved expenses, and success commission. It states which receipts are commissionable and how renewals, pre-existing buyers, and cancellations are handled. Where a retainer is credited against commission, the proposal shows that calculation.
Your choices remain explicit
Separate routes, separate terms.
You can engage us for brokerage, preparation, or technical support for a sale you manage yourself. Buying an assessment or preparation project does not appoint us as your broker. An existing separate brokerage mandate remains governed by its stated terms.
Where this fits
- Check Dataset readiness check
- Describe Fit discussion
- License Managed Data Licensing
- Prepare Data Quality & Packaging
- Sell direct Direct-Sale Enablement
Not ready yet? Discuss data licensing. After this: Data Quality & Packaging or Direct-Sale Enablement.
Questions
Will you promise a buyer or a price?
No. We commit to the services and activities in the engagement. A buyer may decline, ask for changes, or offer terms you choose not to accept.
Do I have to pay for preparation first?
No universal preparation requirement applies. We review the proposed asset and scope the work it actually needs. A separate assessment may be appropriate when substantial investigation is required.
Are you an official partner of an AI lab?
Your proposal identifies the role we perform and any relevant disclosed relationships. Contact with a prospective buyer does not mean endorsement, preferred-supplier status, or a purchase commitment.
Can my data be licensed more than once?
That depends on the rights available and the agreements you approve. Exclusivity, permitted uses, and prior licenses can limit later transactions.
What happens when no agreement is reached?
Commission is governed by the defined receipt trigger. Any service fees, retainer, expenses, cancellation rights, and refunds are governed by the engagement, not an assumption that all fees disappear without a sale.
Do we need to upload data to inquire?
No. Describe the proposed dataset at a high level. Do not send raw records, credentials, personal information from the dataset, or confidential examples. Any later transfer follows an agreed access and handling process.
Do you buy the data yourselves?
No. The default is a direct license from you to the buyer, with Copia acting under a limited mandate for the seller. Principal purchases need separately approved terms.
How are buyers chosen?
From a target map with documented reasons for fit and relationship status. You approve every recipient before first contact.