Most consent problems in AI production are not malice; they are missing files. A collaboration made sense in a chat thread in March, the images are selling in June, and by September nobody can produce the message where likeness use was agreed. Treat consent the way studios treat releases: a small, boring record created before the first generation, kept with the content it covers. On GameFiLinks it is not a side quest — it is the entry requirement.
The minimum viable record
For every real person whose face, body or photos enter your workflow, keep four things together: identification (who they are and how you verified they are an adult), scope (what may be made — stills, clips, swaps, undress transformations — stated in words, not assumed), term (how long the permission runs and whether it can be withdrawn), and the agreement itself (a signed release, or at minimum a written exchange in which the scope is stated and accepted — saved as a file, not left inside a chat app).
Rules that keep the record honest
- Scope is literal. Consent to appear in clothed stills is not consent to undress transformations. If a new use appears, the record gets a new line, agreed before the job runs.
- Withdrawal is real. If a collaborator revokes, production stops and published pieces come down. A record system that cannot execute a withdrawal is not a consent system.
- Fictional characters need a different file. For a purely generated character there is no person to consent — but keep the character sheet and first frames on file, because “this performer is fictional” is a claim you may one day need to show your working for.
- Store records with the catalogue. The folder for a set should contain its consent record next to the deliverables, so an audit never becomes an archaeology project.
When in doubt, do not generate
The economics are asymmetric: one undocumented set can cost an account, a storefront and a reputation, while the set you skipped costs a week. GameFiLinks’ rules mirror this — uploads and swaps require adulthood and consent, and moderation will ask for the documentation. Having it ready is what professional looks like.