Featured Articles

Permissions Myths

31/7/2024

The PLS Rights Management Group has compiled a list of common myths and misconceptions about clearing permission to reuse content to help bust these myths once and for all. Read more.

Many rights sellers go through their business lives licensing content to customers without ever having to get to grips with co-edition management. But for those whose companies publish illustrated books, from medical encyclopaedias to children’s picture books, there is a whole new range of skills to add to their rights selling expertise. And any one of us may be faced with a one-off project that may need this additional knowledge. This is an attempt to demystify co-edition publishing and highlight some of the pitfalls, as well as demonstrate how profitable and rewarding an area of rights it can be. Read more.

Why Permissions Matter to Publishers

3/11/2023

Permissions can often be at the bottom of a publisher’s to do list so it’s important to know why you should have a process for managing permissions as efficiently as possible. Hopefully the five reasons below will convince you that permissions are worth investing a little extra time and effort into creating efficient processes within your business. Read more.

Report: Rights Management in Publishing

17/4/2023

The Rights Management in Publishing’ report is based on a survey of around 100 UK publishers conducted by Publishers' Licensing Services. The report highlights that rights income has a significant impact on the profitability of their books or projects and that rights income increases the overall value of their business. While some publishers run highly professional licensing operations, others are missing out on opportunities because of weak rights management practices including insufficient planning and reporting and lack of investment in rights teams. Read more

Digital Licensing Partnerships

21/3/2023 - Clare Painter, of licensing agency Clare Painter Associates

Digital licensing has become a core part of rights activity for many publishers and it can provide valuable revenues, usually with a high margin. It is important not only in academic publishing, where it first took root, but also for those publishing in specialist, educational and broader non-fiction fields. Most licensing centres around libraries and students in one way or another but beyond academic institutions it can also encompass school, corporate and public libraries. Read more

The vital role of identifiers and standards in rights management

16/8/2021 - Mark Bide

Identifiers and metadata have long been crucial elements of copyright management, at least collective rights management. But their importance is predicted to grow with the increasing automation of copyright management as the distribution and reuse of content moves online. Read more

Why Rights Management Matters

29/9/2020

Copyright is the bedrock of the publishing industry, and the rights that publishers hold are their greatest assets. Good management and exploitation of them can make a significant difference to the revenue, profitability and value of any publisher, and they deserve time, resources and investment. In a competitive and challenging market, they provide a lucrative income channel—but only if they are given sufficient attention. Read more

Best Practice for Asset Storage

29/9/2020 - Katy Conover, Hearst UK

In order to determine the best way to store assets, there are several questions that need to be considered. This list is a starting point from which to create a future plan for your assets. Read more

Ten Tips for Improving Your Rights Management

29/9/2020

Getting rights information in good order can help publishers to increase their revenue, protect their copyright and improve their reputation. If you are getting started in rights management or want to improve your practice, here are ten useful tips from PLS’ group of rights experts. Read more