How to Track Licensing Permissions for Hundreds of Browser Games

When you run a site with hundreds of browser games, the hardest question is not "does it load?" but "am I allowed to show this?". Permissions get lost in emails, change when a developer moves studios, or are withdrawn when a rights holder complains. Without a record, you cannot prove you had permission, and you cannot find which games to remove when someone asks.

This guide describes what to record, how to structure the records, gives a sample tracking table, and proposes a workable system for sites that manage hundreds of games.

Who

• Developer or rights holder: the legal name, studio or person who owns the game.
• Provider or distributor: the platform you got it from, if any.
• Contact: a real email for permission or removal questions.

What you may do

• Licence or permission type: own game, open-source licence, written permission, platform terms, or a distributor's embed terms.
• Scope: hosting the files, embedding via iframe, using the name and art in your listings, and showing ads around it.
• Territory and duration: worldwide or limited; permanent or until a date.
• Evidence: a link or saved copy of the terms, email or licence text, with the date you captured it.

How it is delivered

• Delivery method: files you host, or an iframe from the provider.
• Embed URL: the exact address and who controls it.
• Artwork rights: thumbnail and cover, which may have different terms from the game itself.
• Attribution: whether credit or a link back is required, and whether it must be visible.

Lifecycle

• Date added, last checked, next check.
• Status: active, under review, removal requested, removed.
• Removal requests: date received, who sent it, what you did and when.

Field	Example	Why it matters
Game	Example Puzzle	Identifies the record; keep the URL slug too
Developer / rights holder	Example Studio Ltd	Who can grant or withdraw permission
Source type	Own, open source, partner, licensed, embed allowed	Sets the rules that apply
Permission basis	Written email, platform terms, MIT licence	The legal reason you may show it
Evidence URL or file	Link or saved PDF of the terms	Proof if someone challenges you
Permission date	2026-09-12	Terms change; you need to know which version applied
Contact	[email protected]	Where to ask or notify
Delivery	Iframe from provider / hosted copy	Controls how you take it down
Iframe allowed	Yes / No / Only on listed domains	Some licences limit where it can be embedded
Artwork rights	Provided by developer / needs confirmation	Thumbnails are often separate
Attribution required	Visible link to the provider	Compliance duty
Ads allowed	Yes / No / Revenue share	Money around the game can need extra consent
Status	Active	Drives what is public
Last verified	2026-10-01	Triggers re-checks
Removal request log	None / received 2026-10-05, removed 2026-10-06	Shows you responded promptly

1. One record per game, in a database or spreadsheet. A single source of truth beats scattered emails. Use the table above as the columns.
2. Do not publish without a record. Make the permission fields required before a game can go live. The record should exist first, and the public page follows.
3. Save evidence at the time you add the game. Terms pages change. Store a dated copy, such as a PDF or screenshot with the URL.
4. Use an "approved for distribution" flag. A separate yes/no field that a person sets after reviewing the licence, so nothing is distributed automatically just because it exists.
5. Track every status change. Record who changed it and when.
6. Schedule re-checks. Review each provider's terms every six or twelve months, and check embed URLs still work.
7. Keep a removal procedure. A short checklist: confirm the claimant, unpublish the game, remove it from sitemaps and feeds, reply with the date, log the outcome.
8. Review by risk. Spend most effort on games with unclear sources, strong brand names or third-party characters.

PlayKovo tracks these items on every game. The game record has fields for the source type, a licence note, the provider name and URL, a link to the permission evidence, the permission date, a permission contact, an embed permission note, a thumbnail rights note, and attribution label and link. A separate admin decision, the "Allow in embed catalog" checkbox, is the only gate that lets a game be offered to other websites, so nothing is offered automatically because of its source type. The terms say that games belong to PlayKovo, its developers or their licensors, and that a listing can be disabled if a provider withdraws it or a rights complaint arrives.

That is a model you can copy even without a database: the same fields work in a spreadsheet.

• Relying on "it was free on another site". Availability is not permission.
• Assuming an open-source licence covers the art and music, which can have different licences.
• Embedding a game and forgetting that the embed can change or disappear without your knowledge.
• Saving permission only in someone's inbox.
• Ignoring removal requests, or answering after weeks.

• Check new games all have complete records.
• Open ten random embeds and confirm they still load; automate this with an automated broken-game check.
• Review any status changes and removal requests.
• Re-read the terms of your top providers.

This is not legal advice. For anything unclear, ask the rights holder in writing or consult a lawyer. If you would rather not manage hosting rights at all, PlayKovo's catalog lists which games are enabled for distribution: see free HTML5 games for your site and the Partner Terms.