Start with how you obtained and used H3. Downloading weights, importing a workflow, subscribing to a website and delivering a finished clip involve different materials and agreements. A successful generation or paid receipt cannot answer every permission question for the project.
This article maps those paths to the documents and records worth checking. Its fictional café example is an editorial exercise, not an assessment of a real customer's rights. Sources were checked on October 6, 2026.
1. Identify the path before reading a license
Write down the service or repository you actually used. “MiniMax H3” alone is not specific enough: a model publisher, a community software package and an independent hosted website can all appear in the same workflow.
| Your action | First document to identify | Project question to record |
|---|---|---|
| Run downloaded weights | Publisher's model license for that revision | Which model files and deployment location? |
| Modify or distribute a workflow | License of the actual package and dependencies | Which files are included in your distribution? |
| Call MiniMax's own API | Relevant product terms and any order | Which service and account agreement? |
| Use another hosted service | That service's terms and model-specific conditions | Which provider handled this task? |
| Deliver a clip to a client | Service conditions, input permissions and delivery agreement | Which uses and recipients were agreed? |
Keep both entries if you combine paths. For example, a local workflow that calls a remote service has a software component and a hosted component; documenting only the downloaded JSON misses part of the process.
2. Separate software from model material
The Comfy Org workflow templates use MIT, while ComfyUI core carries GPL v3. The model has its own agreement. One familiar software label does not settle permission for everything loaded by that software.
Use a package inventory rather than a single “open source” checkbox. List the workflow, custom nodes, weights, encoder and input media separately. Record each origin and revision before editing the package. If you later give the package to another team, that inventory helps distinguish your authored files from included upstream material.
The ComfyUI reference page explains a technical input path. Installation instructions and a working graph are separate from a permission decision for your distribution.
3. Read the open-weight and hosted paths separately
The model's August 2, 2026 Community License excludes the EU, UK, South Korea and US from its territory, requires prior written authorization when your commercial products/services exceed US$20 million in annual revenue, and requires commercial UI identification. It claims no ownership of outputs while retaining conditions and user responsibilities.
The publisher's license FAQ distinguishes its globally available API from region-limited open weights. Its general service framework also points to product and supplemental terms. These sources do not reveal a separate provider's private authorization or your particular order.
For a hosted task, save the applicable service name and terms link alongside the task record. For this independent Studio, begin with our Terms. Avoid substituting another company's subscription or license for the contract of the service you actually used.
4. Check the finished clip as a delivery asset
A provider declining ownership does not supply missing permissions for your inputs. fal's service terms expressly do not guarantee unique or non-infringing output; third-party conditions can also apply. Treat the completed file as something to review against the actual project brief.
Imagine a café orders a five-second cup advertisement. The café supplies a product photo, a staff portrait and a music track. Make three separate entries: who supplied the photograph, what use of the person's likeness was agreed, and which music permissions cover the planned delivery. If one entry is unresolved, keep it unresolved rather than allowing the other two to imply approval.
Then record where the client intends to publish the clip and whether future edits, sublicensing or additional campaigns are included. This is an original recordkeeping method; it does not determine whether a particular contract grants those rights.
5. Keep a small record that follows the project
| Field | Fill in for this project |
|---|---|
| Access path and service | ______ |
| Model identifier and task date | ______ |
| Terms/license URL and revision or date | ______ |
| Input asset origins and permission records | ______ |
| Agreed recipient, channels and delivery scope | ______ |
| Open question, responsible party and response | ______ |
Preserve the record when moving from a draft to a client deliverable. If the model, service, input music or delivery scope changes, update the affected entry. A previous project's conclusion should not silently travel with a different task.
6. Resolve the precise question
“Can I use H3 commercially?” becomes easier to investigate when rewritten as a concrete request: identify the provider, access path, location, material and proposed use. Ask the relevant party about the unresolved condition, and retain its answer with the project.
Being an independent creator does not identify your access path or settle the permissions attached to a particular input. Use the same project record, scaled to the materials and delivery you actually have. Payment confirms a purchase; a template license identifies software terms; neither independently settles the complete delivery chain. For deployment planning, continue with the ComfyUI reference page. For prompt preparation after selecting your path, use the prompt guide.
