Metadata principle 4. Good metadata includes a clear statement on the conditions and terms of use for the digital item.

Terms and conditions of use include legal rights (e.g. fair use), permissions, and limitations on the exercise of permissions. The user should be informed how to obtain permission for restricted uses and how to cite the material for allowed uses. Special technical requirements, such as the required viewer or reader, should also be noted.

If this information is the same for all the materials in a collection, documenting it in collection-level metadata is adequate (see Collections). Otherwise, metadata records for individual objects should contain information pertaining to the particular item. Many metadata schemes have designated places to put this information; if they do not, some locally defined element should be used.

Source: adapted from 'A Framework of Guidance for Building Good Digital Collections', published by the National Information Standards Office, 2nd edition, 2004.