Obtaining Permission: The Copyright Permissions Request is a practical online course that teaches you how to best obtain permission to use copyright-protected materials.
You'll learn:
- To write the best copyright permissions request
- How to approach a copyright owner for permission
- What to include in your permissions request letter
- Copyright permission letter best practices
- ... and much more
Each of the 10 lessons contains a text lecture, further resources to explore, and a self-marking quiz. The time commitment is approximately 10 hours to review all materials.
Syllabus for Obtaining Permission: The Copyright Permissions Request
- Is It Possible to Simplify Obtaining Permission?
- Make Sure You Need Permission
- Identifying the Copyright Owner
- What Rights Do You Need?
- How To Determine Fees for Copyright Permissions
- Tips for Obtaining Your Ideal Terms and Conditions (see 5 tips below)
- Copyright Permissions Letter Checklist
- Practical Applications and FAQs
- Best Practices for Obtaining Copyright Permissions
- Test Your Knowledge
For further information about this eTutorial on obtaining copyright permissions, email us.
5 Tips for Negotiating Permission
- What you pay for content is a matter of negotiation. Start by determining your budget, the value the content has to you, and your use of it before entering into negotiations with the rights holder.
- If you're negotiating for the use of digital content, keep in mind that the content may be reproduced in a variety of qualities. Include a discussion in your negotiations about the quality of the reproduction in order to avoid a future complaint by the rights holder and possible moral rights infringement (right of integrity).
- If you’re adapting, translating or adding value to the content, ensure that the rights holder is aware of your use(s) of the content and agrees with your proposed uses.
- Think about how you’ll pay the copyright owner. For the use of digital works, it often makes more sense to pay a fixed fee rather than a royalty, especially if a work is one of thousands going into a digital archives or onto a social networking site. This is negotiable.
- Many rights holders are concerned about unauthorized uses of their works once they’re available, especially in a digital format. What reasonable precautions can you offer the rights holder that you'll take to protect the content? For example, you could include copyright notices, encryption and a password-protected site.
For a more comprehensive course on leading copyright issues in your library or organization, see the Copyright Leadership Certificate.
See all of Copyrightlaws.com’s online copyright courses.
