How can we make international copyright licensing easier for clients?

Media monitoring agencies and their commercial clients are increasingly interested in international print and web content. We see significant demand for the major US titles we host on eClips (WSJ and International Herald Tribune), and our media Monitoring Organisation (MMO) partners underline the growing demand. Serving this requirement efficiently is a major challenge - getting rights and data from thousands of major news providers when the volume and value of use is relatively small is tough, and users expect the same service and terms they pay for UK newspapers.  NLA has invested heavily in this area for years. We are members of www.ifrro.org and exchange rights with licensing agencies in other countries, which allows us to licence access to hundreds of international newspapers.

NLA is also a founding member of www.pdln.info - a specialist group we set up to try and help users get rights and access to international content. PDLN now has 25 members in 17 countries who are working on a program – PDLN Connect – which aims to simplify and standardise technical and licence terms for use of international content. There are significant technical, legal and commercial barriers to progress but we have already seen German, Austrian Swiss, Belgian and UK content made available through PDLN, and we expect more progress soon. NLA is now processing 15 major French titles in eClips for PDLN member CFC, and this should further accelerate international content linkages.

NLA has also invested in eClips International and eClips Ireland, with remixed versions of the UK content and terms for overseas media monitoring companies. These innovations have allowed hundreds of overseas users to access UK content more efficiently.

NLA feels that the way to improve international media monitoring for clients is for publishers and Media Monitoring Agencies to work together to create solutions: which is why PDLN hosted its first PDLN Connect Content Forum with major MMAs and their representative bodies AMEC and FIBEP in Dublin in June 2012. We plan to follow up with a London seminar for agencies this autumn.

There are no magic bullets for resolving international copying requirements, but a lot of hard work is going on. The NLA is committed to offering UK and international users 21^st century solutions to content access – and hope to report on new, market-driven solutions in the coming months. 

Andrew Hughes

Commercial Director, NLA