> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.flash.im/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.flash.im/docs/resources/news-licensing.md). # News Licensing Why you can publish FLASH news without a license from the outlets, shown with one real story. {% hint style="success" %} **FLASH news is an original work.** FLASH takes the facts a first report carried and writes them in its own sentences. You can publish FLASH news on your platform without a separate license from the outlets. Every item names the outlet that first reported the story and links to its article (`source`, `sourceUrl`). Wherever you show a story’s summary or body, show the outlet name with it; the link is optional. {% endhint %} ## How news reporting works When one outlet breaks a story, other outlets confirm the facts and report the same event in their own words, crediting the first report: "according to …", "… reported". Copyright protects the words, not the facts. That is why follow-up reports like these appear by the thousands every day, with no license between the outlets. FLASH works the same way. ## A real example: Blockchain.com applies for CFTC licenses On October 9, 2026, CNBC reported that Blockchain.com had applied for two U.S. licenses. Here is how the story traveled. | Time (UTC) | Outlet | What happened | | ---------- | ------------- | ------------------------------------- | | 12:01 | CNBC | First report | | 16:04 | The Block | Follow-up, crediting CNBC | | 16:22 | Cointelegraph | Follow-up, crediting CNBC | | 12:05 | FLASH | A FLASH item, with CNBC as its source | ### 1. The first report: CNBC (full text) {% hint style="info" %} ## *One article, quoted in full to show how news reporting works. Original:* [*cnbc.com*](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/blockchain-com-cftc-prediction-markets.html) **\[Blockchain.com seeks U.S. approval for prediction markets, crypto derivatives trading]** Key Points * Blockchain.com told CNBC it has applied for licenses with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to offer event contracts and cryptocurrency derivatives in the U.S. * The company already offers prediction markets and perpetual futures to some of its international customers. * There is a growing list of companies seeking approvals to be futures exchanges, particularly as many look to join the prediction markets boom. Blockchain.com, a digital asset platform, wants to get in on the [prediction market](https://www.cnbc.com/markets/prediction-markets/) boom in the U.S. The company has filed for two licenses with the [Commodity Futures Trading Commission](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/04/white-house-has-vetted-candidates-for-key-cftc-vacancies-sources-tell-cnbc.html) to feature event contracts as well as cryptocurrency derivatives to retail and institutional customers in the U.S., Blockchain.com told CNBC. Blockchain.com is asking the CFTC — the federal regulator for futures and derivatives — to designate it a futures exchange by receiving a designated contract market license. It also asks to be registered as a futures commission merchant, which are brokers for derivatives contracts. “Users should be able to manage their digital assets, trade derivatives, and take positions on real-world events easily, without jumping between different apps,” said Peter Smith, CEO and co-founder of Blockchain.com, in a statement. “Our DCM and FCM applications build toward that future in the U.S. through the appropriate regulatory frameworks.” Blockchain.com [earlier this year](https://www.blockchain.com/blog/posts/blockchain-partners-with-polymarket) began offering prediction markets through a partnership with [Polymarket](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/29/polymarket-lisa-mantil-institutional-growth.html), as well as [perpetual futures](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/21/wall-streets-existential-crisis-over-perpetual-futures-the-24/7-security-on-steroids-just-got-urgent.html) powered by [Hyperliquid](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/19/call-buying-bonanza-around-trumps-hyperliquid-comments-includes-eyebrow-raising-trades.html), to some of its [customers internationally](https://www.blockchain.com/blog/posts/blockchaincom-launches-global-self-custodied-perpetual-futures-trading). Crypto-related companies have increasingly sought to [participate in prediction markets](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/30/gemini-sets-sights-on-derivatives-expansion-after-winning-key-us-regulatory-approval.html), and vice versa. Digital asset exchanges [Crypto.com](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/19/crypto-com-layoffs-12percent-ai-job-loss.html) and [Gemini Space Station](https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/GEMI/) have their own event contract marketplaces, while [Coinbase](https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/COIN/) offers them primarily through a partnership with Kalshi. Meanwhile, Kalshi and Polymarket have launched [perpetual futures](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/05/29/kalshi-is-moving-beyond-prediction-markets-and-into-one-of-cryptos-biggest-trading-lanes.html) — one of crypto’s [most popular trading products](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/04/27/prediction-markets-prepare-to-invade-one-of-cryptos-biggest-and-riskiest-trades.html) — for U.S. and international customers, respectively. Blockchain.com also joins [11 other companies](https://www.cftc.gov/IndustryOversight/IndustryFilings/TradingOrganizations) that have filed this year alone to [seek approval for DCM licenses](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/06/16/novig-wins-cftc-approval-as-competition-intensifies-in-sports-prediction-markets.html). The CFTC has approved six new DCMs in 2026. The company is also in the midst of a move to the public markets. It [confidentially filed](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/blockchaincom-announces-confidential-submission-of-draft-registration-statement-for-proposed-initial-public-offering-of-class-a-ordinary-shares-302778533.html) for an initial public offering with the [Securities and Exchange Commission](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/01/sec-accredited-investor-exam-private-markets.html) in May, and [Bloomberg reported](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-28/blockchain-com-is-said-to-target-500-million-ipo-this-year) last month that it was planning to go public this year targeting a valuation between $4 billion to $6 billion. *Disclosure: CNBC and Kalshi have a commercial relationship that includes customer acquisition and a minority investment.* {% endhint %} ### 2. The follow-ups: how other outlets reported it {% hint style="success" %} ## ***The Block (16:04 UTC):*** **\[Blockchain.com seeks CFTC greenlight for US prediction markets, crypto derivatives trading: CNBC]** **Quick Take** * Blockchain.com already offers prediction markets and perpetual futures to some international users. * The company is reportedly targeting a $500 million IPO, following listing ambitions dating back to 2022. * Blockchain.com has intended to go public for at least four years. Blockchain.com, a crypto wallet and trading platform, has applied for a pair of U.S. licenses to offer prediction markets and crypto derivatives, CNBC [reported](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/blockchain-com-cftc-prediction-markets.html) Friday. Approval of those licenses, specifically a designated contract market license and registration as a futures commission merchant, falls under the purview of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. "Users should be able to manage their digital assets, trade derivatives and take positions on real-world events easily, without jumping between different apps," CEO and co-founder Peter Smith said in a statement cited by CNBC. Blockchain.com already offers prediction markets through Polymarket and [perpetual futures via Hyperliquid](https://www.theblock.co/price/hyperliquid), but currently only to non-U.S. customers. If these applications are approved, it would open the door for Blockchain.com to offer those products to U.S. customers. This follows a September agreement with the New York Stock Exchange to give Blockchain.com users [access to tokenized U.S. stocks](https://www.theblock.co/news/web3/2026-09-23-blockchain-com-nyse-tokenized-us-stocks-etfs-416176) and ETFs through the exchange's planned digital trading platform. Blockchain.com is also preparing for a potential public listing, [confidentially filing for an IPO](https://www.theblock.co/news/markets/2026-05-21-blockchain-com-confidentially-files-for-us-ipo-as-crypto-firms-continue-public-market-push-402182) in May. More recent reports last week from Bloomberg revealed that Blockchain.com was seeking to [raise roughly $500 million](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-28/blockchain-com-is-said-to-target-500-million-ipo-this-year) at a valuation of between $4 billion and $6 billion, and targeting a listing before the end of 2026. It's important to note that Blockchain.com has intended to go public for at least four years now. In April 2022, the company was speaking with banks about a potential listing that year, shortly after raising funding at a $14 billion valuation. {% endhint %} {% hint style="success" %} ## ***Cointelegraph (16:22 UTC):*** **\[Blockchain.com pursues CFTC approval for prediction markets: CNBC]** Blockchain.com has reportedly applied to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for approval of prediction market offerings and crypto derivatives. CNBC reported Friday that the exchange [filed](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/09/blockchain-com-cftc-prediction-markets.html) for two licenses with the CFTC for event contracts and crypto derivatives offerings for US-based retail and institutional investors. The licenses, as a designated contract market (DCM) and futures commission merchant (FCM), would allow Blockchain.com to operate as a futures exchange for event contracts and a broker for derivatives contracts, respectively. Blockchain.com announced in July that it planned to partner with Polymarket as part of a prediction markets integration on the company’s app. However, if approved, the CFTC license would allow the exchange to offer its own marketplace with event contracts. The question of oversight and enforcement of prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket is currently being tested in US courts, as many state-level authorities have lawsuits pending against companies for alleged violations of laws betting on sports and elections. Last month, New Jersey officials [filed a petition](https://cointelegraph.com/news/new-jersey-supreme-court-kalshi-prediction-markets-cftc) with the US Supreme Court to weigh in on their case against Kalshi, which could resolve disputes between federal and state regulators. Blockchain.com was also reportedly [considering an initial public offering](https://cointelegraph.com/news/blockchain-com-500m-ipo-bloomberg-reports) with a valuation of up to $6 billion, expecting to raise $500 million. {% endhint %} Both outlets credit CNBC and tell the same facts in their own words. CNBC's own report does the same: for the company's listing plans, it credits Bloomberg ("Bloomberg reported last month"). Crediting the first report and writing in your own words runs in every direction between outlets. {% hint style="success" %} ### The FLASH item, with CNBC as its source **\[Blockchain.com seeks US licenses for prediction markets and crypto derivatives]** Blockchain.com said it has applied for two Commodity Futures Trading Commission licenses to offer event contracts and cryptocurrency derivatives to US retail and institutional customers. The company seeks approval as a designated contract market and registration as a futures commission merchant. Blockchain.com began offering prediction markets and perpetual futures to some international customers earlier this year. The company also confidentially filed for an initial public offering with the Securities and Exchange Commission in May. `source`: CNBC · `sourceUrl`: {% endhint %} The three reports of this event are grouped as one event in FLASH (`relatedCount` 3), so the item can show "CNBC +2 more". ### Same facts, different words | Fact | CNBC | The Block | Cointelegraph | FLASH | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | --------- | -------------------------------- | ----- | | Applied for two CFTC licenses (DCM and FCM) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | Wants to offer event contracts and crypto derivatives to US customers | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | Already offers prediction markets and perpetual futures to some customers abroad | ✓ | ✓ | Polymarket partnership plan only | ✓ | | Confidentially filed for an IPO with the SEC in May | ✓ | ✓ | IPO plans only | ✓ | Four reports carry the same facts, each in its own sentences. FLASH writes the facts in its own sentences too. ## Why FLASH is license-free * **An original work.** The headline, summary, and body are written by FLASH. It reads every report of an event, groups them into one, and writes the facts in its own sentences, the way the follow-ups above do. * **No source text is passed on.** What the FLASH API delivers is text that FLASH wrote. Only two fields point to the outlet's own material, `sourceHeadline` and `sourceImageUrl`, covered below. * **The source is credited.** Every item names the outlet that reported the story and links to its article. The outlet name goes with the summary or body wherever you show them; the link is optional. A reader who knows where a report came from can check the facts, and that is what makes a news surface credible. * **All 16 languages.** Every translation renders FLASH's own text, never the source article. ## Field by field: whose it is and how to use it | Field | Whose | How to use it | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `headline`, `summary`, `body`, `whyItMatters`, and the analysis values (`impact`, `eventType`, `entities`, and the rest) | FLASH | Publish, store, and translate them on your platform. Keep the analysis values as they are | | `covers[]` | FLASH | Editorial use in news coverage. Credit as **\[Powered by FLASH AI]** (posts on social media are the exception). Not for advertising, promotion, or resale. | | `source`, `sourceUrl` | Credit | The outlet name is required with the summary or body; the link to the original article is optional | | `sourceHeadline` | The outlet | The outlet's own headline, as published. Use it as the title of the link to the original article, together with that link | | `sourceImageUrl` | The outlet | The image the outlet publishes for link previews. Use it the way every social platform and messenger shows a shared link: hotlinked, together with the link to the original article. Do not download and re-host it, or use it apart from that link | In the example above, `sourceHeadline` is "Blockchain.com seeks U.S. approval for prediction markets, crypto derivatives trading", and `sourceImageUrl` is the preview image CNBC attached to the article. ## Using only FLASH's text and covers If your legal review is strict, or you already license some outlets directly, combine two parameters: * **`fields`** leaves out the outlet's own fields. Request the fields you render, without `sourceHeadline` and `sourceImageUrl`. * **`excludeSources`** leaves out outlets by number. Every outlet's number is in [Source numbers](/docs/api-reference/news-item-fields.md#source-numbers). Outlets are removed before `limit` applies, so the page still comes back full. ``` GET https://api.flash.im/v1/news?category=crypto&fields=headline,summary,body,impact,eventType,source,sourceUrl,publishedAt,covers&limit=20 GET https://api.flash.im/v1/news?category=economy&excludeSources=17,18&limit=20 ``` The first call returns FLASH's text, covers, and the credit fields only. The second returns economy news without Reuters (17) and Bloomberg (18). The two parameters work together. `excludeSources` works on `GET /v1/news` in both modes, feed and matching; Top News and RSS do not take it. Details are on the [News Feed API](/docs/api-reference/news-feed-api.md) page. ## FAQ
Do I need a license from the outlets? No. All FLASH content, the text and the covers, is FLASH’s own original work, so no license from the outlets is needed. The only exceptions are `sourceHeadline` and `sourceImageUrl`: the outlet holds the rights to them, and they are there to credit the source.
Do I have to show the source? Yes, whenever you show the summary or body: name the outlet with it. A headline shown on its own may leave it out. The link to the original article is optional.
Can I translate FLASH news? Yes, as long as the analysis values stay as they are. Every item already ships in English first, then in 15 more languages.
Can I store FLASH news? Yes, as reasonably necessary to run your product, including caching. When your use of FLASH ends, stop displaying covers, and keep stored content only as the law or your own record-keeping requires.
What is not allowed? * Changing the analysis values while presenting them as FLASH's * Presenting content in a way that suggests an outlet endorsed your product * Reselling access to the API itself * Using covers in advertising or promotion