That’s one possible way to handle it, and as you suggest, it does add a layer of complexity. For somebody that knows how to write automations or scripts, it probably wouldn’t be any more complex than writing a Formula that tries to handle dynamic dates, though.
But the main thing, the first thing I am suggesting, is to think of Licenses as records, one new record (row) per new license (whether the license is an original or a renewal of an original). And those License records can be linked to a Client record, one Client record per client you have.
Yes, it’s definitely possible to copy data from an originating record into the new record being created. I would suggest having a Linked Record field on the “Licenses” table that links back to another License, so that you can link a Renewal license to its original license.
I would urge you to focus on the data model (structure) first though. Establish a manual process by which you can create a new and renewed License record first, so that you know what your workflow looks like. Then, determine the constraints under which you would want to automate that process. You may find that you create an automation too hastily, and find that it is creating renewals when you didn’t want it to. To echo the old woodworking adage, “Measure twice, cut once”… “Plan twice, execute once”.
