Before you sell an AI-generated image: 10-point checklist

1. Confirm generator permission

Check the exact generator’s current terms rather than relying on a blog summary or an old screenshot. Save the source URL because commercial-use language can move between Terms, licensing FAQs and pricing pages.

2. Confirm the plan and model

Commercial rights can change by plan, company size or model. Recraft Free and Midjourney’s company-size rule are examples of details that can change the answer. Partner models inside a host product can also carry terms different from the host’s own model.

3. Check destination acceptance

A generator licence cannot override a marketplace ban. Shutterstock currently rejects external contributor AI images, while Adobe Stock accepts them under specific requirements. This is why ‘Can I use the image commercially?’ and ‘Can I sell it here?’ are different questions.

4. Follow disclosure and labeling rules

Use the destination’s required mechanism. Etsy listing disclosure, KDP publishing disclosure and Adobe Stock labeling are different workflows. Do not assume one generic ‘made with AI’ note satisfies every destination.

5. Verify your input rights

Only upload source images, logos, reference material, fonts or other inputs that you have the right to use for the intended workflow. A provider’s output licence does not retroactively license material you supplied without permission.

6. Inspect third-party rights

Check the final image for recognizable people, trademarks, protected characters, distinctive trade dress and other material that may require permission. Look at the actual output, not only the prompt: models can introduce unexpected text, logos or lookalike elements.

7. Do not overpromise copyright or exclusivity

Commercial-use permission does not guarantee that the output is copyrightable or exclusive in your jurisdiction, and similar outputs may be generated for others. That distinction matters particularly for client branding, logos and premium exclusive licences.

8. Protect confidential work

Use appropriate privacy settings for unreleased products and client material. Public-generation defaults can be unsuitable for confidential assignments even when the provider otherwise allows commercial use.

9. Pass the destination’s quality rules

Inspect anatomy, text, logos, artifacts, metadata and technical quality at full size. Stock marketplaces can reject content that is legally usable but technically weak. Print-on-demand sellers should also test how fine details survive the real print process.

10. Keep evidence and re-check before material use

Save prompts, edits, source files, releases, policy URLs and the date checked. Re-open the official policy before a high-value campaign, a large upload batch or a re-publication because AI policies change faster than ordinary evergreen licensing guidance.