Can a small internal team do this without a broker?
It can coordinate the process if it has authority, time and access to legal and technical expertise. Use a representative only for a defined gap and require proof of what the appointment adds; the workflow does not assume a broker is mandatory.
What is the first document to create?
Create the one-page decision brief defining the candidate cohort, use, decision date, budget ceiling and acceptable outcomes. Then add a traceable inventory, using dataset documentation principles as a starting point rather than a certification. Gebru et al. — Datasheets for Datasets
Can we approach buyers before every historical rights issue is solved?
You can explore a requirement using information you are authorised to disclose, while keeping unresolved content out of samples and grants. Counsel must determine the permissions for any actual release; ownership of copies alone is insufficient. US Copyright Office — Title 17, Chapter 2: Copyright Ownership and Transfer
Should we spend money on annotation before getting a buyer requirement?
Only under a consciously approved research hypothesis with a bounded loss budget. For commercial preparation, require the task, fields and acceptance criteria first so work can be linked to a decision rather than a vague claim of AI readiness.
How long will it take to get paid?
This research does not establish a typical time to a signed licence or collection. The six-to-ten-week illustration concerns internal pilot readiness only; payment depends on the actual procurement process and executed schedule.
What proves that a sample has been deleted?
A closure record should distinguish access revocation, file deletion, retained backups and model-related obligations, with evidence appropriate to each. Previously exported files do not disappear automatically when an AWS Files subscription expires. AWS — Product subscriptions in AWS Data Exchange
Does the break-even example include every cost?
No: it deliberately exposes only the named hypothetical inputs and excludes tax, internal labour and other items listed beside the calculation. Replace each assumption with your own cost and contract evidence before relying on the result.
What should be handed over to operations?
Hand over the signed rights and fee schedules, release manifest, delivery acceptance, update process, reporting example, escalation contacts and renewal/exit dates. Version identities matter: AWS documentation distinguishes assets, revisions and datasets rather than treating every update as an unnamed replacement. AWS — Data in AWS Data Exchange