NLA expands magazine portfolio

Following news last week of our name change and rebrand, NLA media access today announced an expansion in its range of licensed content, with an increase in the number of magazine and online titles we now represent.

NLA media access has represented a number of magazine publishers for some time now - notably adding the Economist to the portfolio in 2007. Today we are announcing an expansion in our repertoire, to include over 750 trade and consumer titles. Licensing of these titles commences in October 2013.

NLA licensing focuses on the commercial media monitoring market. Those publishers transferring from the CLA to NLA (following a recommendation from the Professional Publishers Association) recognise that in this market, the NLA media access model delivers significant benefits.  The Economist, for example has experienced a 35% compound royalty growth since joining the NLA.

Clients do not need to do anything at this stage, but will be able to add magazine titles when renewing their licenses after October 2013. Publishers interested in exploring the benefits of NLA licensing  should contact Patrick Angell, Publisher Services Manager pangell@nla.co.uk

With a new company name and a growing news portfolio, we remain committed to:

1. Providing clients with easy access to content and a suite of copyright licences to meet their news monitoring needs.

2. Supporting journalism by ensuring that publishers earn a fair reward for their investment in content.  

You can see the full list of magazine publishers licensed through the NLA from 1 October 2013, on our website.

David Pugh

Managing Director, NLA media access

Follow the NLA on Twitter - @NLA_ltd

NLA media access Annual Review 2012

2012 was a significant year of consolidation and growth for NLA media access and the publishers it represents. Read our Annual Review to get an insight into what we do and why we do it, including statements from the publishers we represent and details of our activities in wider industry initiatives.

David Pugh

Managing Director, NLA media access

Follow the NLA on Twitter - @NLA_ltd

NLA announces company name change

NLA is pleased to announce our new company name - NLA media access.

The name change reflects the evolution of the company from a licensor of press clippings to its current role as a supplier of content and services to the publishing, media monitoring and corporate markets.

Over a decade and a half ago the NLA created a publisher owned licensing business. In 2006 it pioneered the development of a database of content.  That database now includes content from over 500 newspapers and websites and is the source of news alerts for many businesses across the UK.

Our new name unifies our growing portfolio of services, it's a simple expression of what we deliver today and a reflection of the growing portfolio of news content (which on behalf of the publishers we represent) we give you access to.

You'll find more information on this revamped website.  Here you will also find our first annual report and a short video explaining our heritage, what we currently deliver and our future plans.

With a new name and a new identity we look forward to working with you all, content owners, media monitors, business, charity, PR agencies and everyone else who values news media in 2013 and beyond.

David Pugh

Managing Director, NLA media access

Follow the NLA on Twitter - @NLA_ltd

Local Newspaper Week

Remember reading about that inspiring charity fundraiser, trophy for the local football team, or the latest tax/bus/library/bin collection scandal?  The chances are you saw it first in the local newspaper.  

Such material is the bread and butter for many of the 1,100 local newspapers.  They bind together communities by providing a highly trusted and relevant source of news.  The Newspaper Society is doing a great job of highlighting the value of regional news brands this week by organising Local Newspaper Week.

No-one would deny times have been tough for newspapers of all shapes and sizes.  But it is worth remembering that 31 million people read a local paper every week and 62 million visit their websites each month.  6 in 10 members of the adult population read a local newspaper and HoldTheFrontPage reported soaring online readership rates for regional publishers in the final months of last year.  So it would seem reports of the industry’s demise are greatly exaggerated.  

PR professionals do their bit of course – by paying NLA licence fees to monitor regional news content.  In 2012 we paid a total of £8.3 million in licence income to regional publishers - enough to support the jobs of several hundred local journalists.

If you value this source of news - don’t forget to buy the local paper this week!

David Pugh
Managing Director, NLA

Follow the NLA on Twitter - @NLA_ltd

Is the Supreme Court judgment a Pirates’ Charter?

An interesting analysis of last week’s Supreme Court judgment in NLA's case with Meltwater has just been published by Simon Clark and Toby Headdon, our legal team at Berwin Leighton Paisner. They observe that “the Supreme Court’s view does raise some difficult issues which the ECJ will no doubt need to consider carefully. On its view, from a copyright perspective, viewing pirated copies of content online becomes fair game with no disincentive for web users to use legitimate sources. The copyright owner will be left to pursue the source of the pirated material, no doubt located offshore, or seek a blocking injunction against ISPs, which are often circumvented. The decision could be viewed by many as something of an online pirate’s charter”.

No doubt content owners in the music and video areas will be paying the judgment serious attention.

BLP go on to suggest that this could be one more nudge in the direction of pay-walls for news publishers – which will make the media monitoring aspects of the judgment increasingly irrelevant by the time the ECJ rules.

To read more: http://www.blplaw.com/intellectual-property/copyright-designs?view=know-how

David Pugh
Managing Director, NLA

Follow the NLA on Twitter - @NLA_ltd