Licensing The Dash Poem

Welcome to the official website for The Dash Poem by Linda Ellis. We offer a variety of licenses for personal and commercial use of our poems. Below are our standard licensing options.

A sunlit pathway winding through a park with vibrant autumn foliage, golden leaves scattered on the ground, and sunlight filtering through the trees.

Hot air balloon floating over the clouds

Licensing Terms
Modifications and Excerpts

Please note, all of the licenses granted below are for use of the full original version of the poem. Under such licenses, you may not use a modified version of the poem.

Under these licenses, you may use an excerpt from the poem if you note it is an excerpt in the actual use.

Free Licenses:

Free License to Recite the Poem Live

We grant to you a free license to recite the poem live in any context, including at funerals, memorial services, and other tributes and ceremonies, if you state during the recitation that the poem is written by Linda Ellis.

We do not permit commercialization or monetization of any recordings of the recitation without a separate license granted solely in our discretion and for a license fee (see license request form below).

Free License for One-Time Print in Funeral or Memorial Service Program or Obituary

We grant to you a one-time free license to use the poem in a printed funeral or memorial program or print or online obituary for a loved one if you include this notice prominently in the use: “The Dash poem by Linda Ellis, © Southwestern Family of Companies, Used by Permission.”

This license does not give you the right to commercialize or monetize the poem.

A lake with a mountain in the background reflecting off the water, the sun peeking through the trees.

Two images with birds flying through a golden sky in the top image. A vibrant setting of mountains reflecting off water with wildflowers around the water in the bottom image.

Free License for Recitation or Print in Memorial Video for Loved One (Non-Monetized)

We grant to you a one-time free license to recite or use the poem in print in a non-monetized memorial video for a loved one if you include this notice prominently in the use: “The Dash poem by Linda Ellis, © Southwestern Family of Companies, Used by Permission.”

We do not permit commercialization or monetization of the poem or the video without a separate license granted solely in our discretion and for a license fee (see license request form below).

Free Personal License for Use on Headstones, Gravestones, Monuments, and Grave Markers for Loved Ones

We grant you a personal one-time free license to use the poem or excerpt of the poem on headstones, gravestones, monuments, and grave markers for loved ones. This license does not include the right for producers of such products to commercialize the poem on such products. Producers who wish to do so may submit a license request for such uses using the license request form below.

Other Licenses

You may wish to use the poem in other circumstances, including those below:

Funeral directors/funeral service providers’ blanket license
Using the poem as lyrics in a song
Recitation or print of the poem in streamed or downloadable videos
Downloadable prints
Usage in a book
Inclusion in a blog post or podcast
Inclusion in a mural
Any commercial use (in framed or unframed paper prints, audio or video recordings, on clothing, jewelry, mugs, and other commercial products, etc.)
You may wish to use the mark LIVE YOUR DASH® in connection with commercial products or services.

We process applications on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the volume of applications we receive and process, the approximate turnaround time to research and prepare a license is four weeks. If we need more information from you, we will follow up with you. If you have not heard from us within four weeks, please email us at [email protected].

License the Dash

License Request Form

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First Name

Last Name

Phone

work) Layout Run

Detailed Description of Requested Use

Print Run (if applicable; if requested use is for published work)

Territory

Product Pricing (If the requested use will be on/in a commercial or on-sale product, what is the pricing for the product?)

Language

Requested License Period

A golden sunrise cast light over a peaceful countryside landscape. The sun peeks through scattered clouds, illuminating a green field enclosed by a rustic wooden fence.

Reservation of Rights/Disclaimer

No license granted above transfers ownership of the poem, or the mark LIVE YOUR DASH® to you, and Southwestern retains and shall retain ownership of the poem and the mark, and all use of the mark inures to the benefit of Southwestern.

Southwestern is not responsible for your use of the poem or any other content with the poem, and you release Southwestern and its affiliated parties and will indemnify Southwestern and its affiliated parties for any claims arising from or related to the use of such other content used with the poem.

We will consider any uses that are not licensed and used in accordance with the terms and conditions above to constitute copyright infringement, and we reserve all available remedies. If you have not received a license from us in response to your license request, the use is not licensed.