Planes, trains, automobiles - and international content rights

NLA media access has put a premium on developing international licensing. UK press is widely used abroad and our UK clients are increasingly interested in global content. Serving these needs makes strategic and commercial sense. Which is why I drove 1500 miles in an open top car last week. Let me explain.

NLA is a member of the International Federation of Reproductive Rights Organisation – IFRRO http://www.ifrro.org/ .  Through IFRRO agreements we are able to offer UK users rights to copy thousands of international titles. The full list is here. But looking closely you will see too many of these are restricted to paper rights. So – leaving the car in Zurich - first stop was Vienna by overnight train, where IFRRO the conference gave us the chance to negotiate wider rights. One agreement – allowing Irish education sector to copy UK material – was signed and others were worked on.

 On to Stockholm – this time by plane – to present NLA’s new Article Impact Measurement service to 180 plus media monitoring and evaluation experts, gathering for their annual AMEC event (http://amecinternationalsummit.org/programme/ ). AIM was well received, as was the opportunity to participate in the discussion on EU copyright reform. NLA were encouraged by Eric Mamer (head of policy for EC Commissioner Oettinger), who recognises that copyright is essential to supporting the growth of content businesses. We also had many international and UK users and prospects for our eClips service at the event, so it was a great chance to catch up with them. The Abba tribute band at the awards ceremony did their bit to ensure we lightened up later in the evening.

Then another flight to Zurich for the Press Database and Licensing Network conference. PDLN (www.pdln.info) is a network of 25 international press licensing and service companies, and sponsors international licensing deals to support better cross border access and rights. Through the network publisher groups have engineered agreements like the delivery of UK content to German clients through our sister organisation PMG. PDLN is smaller, and there was less music, but it’s a group focused directly on press issues and so lots got done that will benefit users. We also welcomed a new Korean member - who we discovered has many of the same challenges as the rest of us. Major MMO groups were invited to present to ensure we listen to user needs. The PDLN events are as much about learning from each other as doing direct deals, and there was a lot of knowledge sharing.

So then it was time for the drive home.  Another 700m through the Vosges and Ardennes. My transport choices were personal, but the reasons for the trip were all about improving the flow of information and revenue as press monitoring goes global.       

NLA supporting the Journalism Diversity Fund (JDF)

The Journalism Diversity Fund (JDF) was set up by the newspaper industry in 2005 to support the training of journalists from ethnically and socially diverse backgrounds.  NLA media access is the JDF’s biggest supporter, and has been donating to it since its launch. Since its creation nearly 10 years ago, the JDF has provided bursaries for 176 aspiring journalists. In 2014 the fund supported 15 students from diverse backgrounds who would not otherwise have had the financial means to support themselves on a NCTJ-accredited course.

Last year NLA media access donated £100,000 to the fund, bringing its total support for the bursary scheme to £981k since it launched in 2005. Encouraging new talent from a range of backgrounds is vital to the future of the publishing industry, but difficult economic circumstances can put off talented young applicants who cannot afford course fees. Earlier this year Guardian leader writer and columnist Hugh Muir wrote a piece about his positive experience of the work of JDF and the challenges that remain for the industry here.

This year we have also heard from one of the former bursary recipients who is well on the way to becoming a stellar reporter thanks to the support of the JDF, recently moving from a regional publisher to work for BBC online.

Sophie Mai-Lan

"I had always wanted to work in the media but I assumed journalism wasn't an industry for people from my background. It was a distant dream to be able to afford actual training in journalism which is what I needed to get

my foot properly in the door. I started freelancing with no training: just a pure drive for stories. I won a few awards for my digital reporting but paid work was difficult to secure. Not to mention the fact I was pregnant with my first child, so I was slowly giving up on ever getting a job in journalism.

Thankfully, once I had my baby I read about the Journalism Diversity Fund via the NCTJ’s website and I knew I had to apply. With their help I was able to study for a post-graduate diploma and NCTJ diploma in journalism at the University of Salford. During my studies I won a scoop of the year award at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence, I was runner-up and shortlisted for two Guardian Student Media Awards and shortlisted for an IRN national commercial radio award.

I was then able to get my first job covering titles at Johnston Press Yorkshire. I also freelanced for the Mirror Online and Bauer Radio. Finally I landed my dream job at the BBC, where I am today working on national current affairs output. If it hadn't have been for the support and funding of the JDF I know I wouldn't have been able to train and afford to continue pursuing a job in the industry.

It is vital that our newsrooms are diverse because the more perspectives we have, the better journalists we are. And, as I work across BBC online, The One Show and national radio, I know how important it is to strive to get the best content and most relevant stories to serve all of our audiences.

We are seeing great changes, but there's still a way to go. But at least thanks to the JDF and NLA newsrooms are becoming more diverse."

Publishers win High Court fight to block internet piracy

The Publishers Association is celebrating a significant legal victory today. It has forced reluctant internet service providers to block access to a number of sites containing huge volumes of copyright material.  The courts ruled that freedom of the internet does not mean freedom to steal other peoples’ work and make money selling it or selling advertising based on access to illegal copies.

Why it takes court action to force ISPs to co-operate is one of the enduring mysteries of modern life. The argument that technology and search is a neutral platform and operating these money making businesses does not carry a responsibility to intervene against criminality was rapidly undermined when Google and others were forced in the court of public opinion to act against child pornography. The principles – or lack thereof - became very clear in the public gaze at that point, but the fact that ISPs continue to drag their heels is not very edifying. Hopefully this High Court ruling will help common sense prevail.

NLA media access watches with more than passing interest. Our anti-piracy initiative, OATS, is now used by most national newspapers and achieves a take-down rate on infringing material of over 80%. We applaud the Publishers Association for taking action to reduce the volume of illegal use of published content. 

NLA hits 200 – with Faversham House

We are pleased to report that Faversham House has chosen to switch their licensing to NLA media access, bringing the total of magazine publishers covered by the NLA licence to 200.  Since NLA first started licensing magazine content in October 2013, following the PPA recommendation to members, publishers have been deciding on an individual basis  whether or not to use the NLA service. The fact so many have decided to transfer to NLA in such as short space of time shows the growing industry confidence in our ability to deliver, underpinned by the positive experience of those who transferred from the start. Some of the comments from leading brands include:  

‘We are delighted with the monthly royalties we have been receiving from PLS since NLA media access started licensing our content less than a year ago.’ Paul Hunt, Deputy Finance Director, Euromoney Institutional Investor

‘As a small publisher we value all our revenue streams, so I was surprised and delighted to receive a significant rise in secondary licensing revenues following our switch to NLA’ Rob Chambers, Managing Director, Total Telecom

‘For Time Inc, the switching decision was straightforward and our royalties have grown over the last year as a result.’ Andrew Horton, Director, Content & Brand Licensing, Time Inc. (UK) Ltd.

In 2014 NLA generated over £3m for magazines, and the expectation for 2015 is over £4m, and as we continue to add more publishers, revenue will continue to grow. 

The Communicators’ Guide to Copyright

It is probably true that few people entering the public relations industry think that copyright law will play an important role in their working lives. Yet from the very moment that just one press cutting or an online article is reproduced (either in print or digitally) and distributed to a client or colleague, copyright is involved. Understanding basic copyright law is therefore fundamental to working in public relations, and in particular media relations, where success is often measured by media coverage.

In association with CorpComms magazine, NLA media access has developed a handy guide for the PR industry to help ensure practitioners are aware of the copyright landscape and able to share content from a publisher with the appropriate permissions in place.

At its heart copyright retains a simple guiding principle – it’s right to ask permission before using someone else’s property. After all, without the investment that publishers make in quality journalism, there would be no coverage for PRs to show their clients.

In practice it’s a little more complicated than that, which is where the Guide comes in. The Guide will help you understand what licence is suitable for your use and also includes details of new services, licences and content now represented by NLA media access. It also explains what happens to the licence fees you pay and how the royalties are used to support journalism and the publishing industry.

We hope you find the guide informative. For more information contact sdowley@nla.co.uk or call our licensing team on 01892 525273.