Do financial organisations need copyright permissions? Financial organisations may need copyright permission when employees copy, store, share, circulate or reuse published content such as journals, reports, trade media, website articles or press clippings. A CLA Business Licence provides blanket permissions for 17+ million of digital and print publications, supporting compliance, governance and responsible content use. The role of published content in financial organisations Published content, such as reports, online journals, and media clippings, is central to how financial organisations operate, iterate and stay abreast of the latest industry news. It often supports investment research, compliance monitoring, client briefings, ESG research, market updates and internal knowledge-sharing. Yet copying or sharing this material without the required permissions can put organisations at risk of copyright infringement, financial liability and reputational harm. In such a highly regulated industry where reputation is paramount, why risk infringing copyright? Gen AI 96% of finance professionals are using Gen AI tools at work* Journals 66% say they copy, reproduce or create extracts from journals* Risk 61% agree that infringing copyright is a risk to their organisation* When do financial organisations need copyright permission? Financial organisations may need copyright permission when employees copy, save, scan, print, email, upload, circulate or reuse published content. This can include articles, journals, reports, trade publications, media monitoring clippings, online content and extracts used in internal briefings, presentations, research workflows or Gen AI prompts. Permission may be needed even when the content is available online or accessed through a subscription, because access to read content is not always the same as permission to copy or share it. Enabling multiple recipients of press clippings and circulating any press clippings may also require copyright pressions to ensure compliance with copyright law. Common copyright pitfalls in financial organisations Most published content is protected by copyright law, so your teams need the right permissions to reuse, copy, or share it. Key things to be aware of include: Can financial organisations share subscription content internally? Not automatically. Subscriptions to industry titles gives you access to content, but it’s essential to recognise the difference between accessing and having the rights to copy and share it. Many publications have explicit copyright statements that prohibit copying, storing, or sharing. So, subscribing to a service doesn’t automatically grant you the right to reuse its content, and misinterpretation of subscription access can inadvertently lead to copyright infringement. Finance teams should check the subscription terms and whether the publication is covered by an appropriate licence. Is freely accessible content free to reuse? Copyright laws still apply on a large majority of published content online, and you must obtain the necessary rights to use someone else’s published content. What everyday actions constitute copying? Taking screenshots Copy‑and‑pasting Saving to shared drives and intranets Photocopying, printing and scanning Are all examples of common copying actions found in everyday workflows. View the video to learn more: Can you us published content to prompt generative AI tools? Prompting generative AI tools with published material involves the act of copying the material. It’s likely you require copyright permission to do so. Explore more about generative AI and copyright here If we receive press clippings can we share them? Media Monitoring agency supplied clippings still hold copyright restrictions. One recipient is permitted to receive the coverage – further sharing, saving, and copying of received media coverage is not permitted without the required permission. (also referred to as multiple access). If your organisation receives media clippings from a PR agency or a Media Monitoring Organisation, it’s highly likely that you need copyright permission to share these clippings internally. This includes actions such as saving them to a shared drive, emailing, printing, copying, or even forwarding these clippings within your organisation. If we hold an NLA Licence do we need a CLA Licence? The short answer is, yes. If your organisation already holds a licence from the Newspaper Licensing Agency (NLA), it is likely your also require a CLA Licence to comply with copyright law. While NLA and CLA licences are both copyright licences, they cover different repertoires of copyrighted material, and there is no overlap between the permissions granted under each. If your organisation shares, saves, prints, or copies content from magazines, newspapers, journals or websites, it’s likely you need both a CLA and NLA licence. CLA Business Licence for compliance The CLA Business Licence helps financial organisations close copyright compliance gaps by providing blanket permissions for millions of digital and print publications under one licence. This gives teams clarity, consistency, and greater confidence to use third‑party content compliantly. The Copyright Licensing Agency is regulated by the UK government as the collective licensing body for the reuse of text and images from books, journals, and magazines. Explore the CLA Business Licence Key CLA Licence benefits Reduced infringement risk Minimise inadvertent infringement at your firm or financial organisation Generative AI permissions Provide lawful permissions for using published content to prompt permitted Gen AI tools, as per licence terms More value from subscriptions Unlock fuller use of finance and business trade media subscriptions More value from press clippings Circulate and share press clippings to multiple recipients compliantly Enhanced governance Bolster compliance and governance frameworks across your firm Less compliance admin One blanket licence covers millions of titles, no need for individual permissions Supports the creative economy Publishers, authors, and visual artists are remunerated for the use of their work Simple Enquiry Process Once you’ve filled out the enquiry form, a CLA team member will contact you to discuss your needs and answer any questions you might have. "*" indicates required fields URLThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.First Name*Last Name*Organisation Name*Why are you contacting CLA*Use dropdownEnquire about a CLA LicenceBeen contacted by CLAEnquire about workplace copyright complianceTo copyright, trade mark or patent your business name or ideaOtherEmail*Phone*CLA provides licences and products to support the compliant reuse of published content. We do not provide trade mark, patent or copyrighting services. For advice on registering trade marks, copyright and IP rights please contact the UK Intellectual Property Office . What is your organisation size?*Use dropdown1-10 employees11-50 employees51-200 employees200+ employees1000+ employeesNot sureDo you use the services of a PR Agency or Media Monitoring Agency?*Use dropdownYesNoNot sureTell us more about your enquiry*This field is hidden when viewing the formLead OwnerThis field is hidden when viewing the formSectorBusinessFurther EducationHigher EducationThis field is hidden when viewing the formStatusThis field is hidden when viewing the formRecord TypeSF Lead Record TypeThis field is hidden when viewing the formLead SourceThis field is hidden when viewing the formUTM CampaignThis field is hidden when viewing the formUTM MediumThis field is hidden when viewing the formUTM SourcePrivacy Policy* By completing this form I agree to CLA's Privacy Policy Stay up to date Please select this box if you would like to receive publications, research, newsletters, events, and products news, from CLA CAPTCHA Business Licence FAQs Find out more about Business Licence coverage and how it can protect your business What does the CLA Business Licence let me do? The licence gives organisations the right to re-use extracts from millions of published digital and print publications, including articles supplied by media monitoring agencies. It provides protection against the risk of copyright infringement and includes an indemnity against legal action and the associated costs. The licence offers a simple solution to copyright compliance so you can research, innovate and create with peace of mind. I have an NLA licence, do I need a CLA licence as well? The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) and NLA Media Access (NLA) are separate licensing bodies that represent separate publication repertoires. Organisations making copies from a variety of media will invariably find they will benefit from holding both licences. NLA media access provides cover for newspapers, some magazines, and websites. The CLA licence covers millions of publications including books, journals, trade magazines, periodicals, law reports, and many digital publications and online content including ‘free-to-view’ websites. There is no overlap between CLA and NLA repertoire, the licences complement one another. The differences between CLA and NLA licences coverage is explored here. We already pay a fee to our media monitoring agency; do we still need a CLA licence? Your Media Monitoring Agency is covered under their CLA licence to send clippings to you, their clients. Under their licence, one person can receive a clipping, view it once, and print and retain a hard copy. If you wish to have multiple user access or make multiple copies of media clippings this will require your business to hold your own CLA licence. A licence is required if electronic/web clippings are accessed more than once, or by more than one employee, or if additional copies are made, forwarded, or digitally stored from clippings received electronically or in hard copy. Does the CLA Business Licence include Workplace Generative AI Permissions? Yes, as of May 2025, the CLA Business Licence permissions were updated to allow the lawful copying and inclusion of published content to prompt permitted generative AI tools to generate outputs (subject to the terms and conditions of your licence). How much can you copy? On each occasion, you may copy a chapter of a book, a single article from a periodical, or up to 5% of a publication, whichever is the greater. For digital publications such as websites that are not conventionally structured, you should ensure that copying is limited to small extracts that are equivalent to these limits. See more Check Permissions Search keyword Select Licence Type Licence Type BusinessCentral GovernmentExtended MultinationalExtended Pharmaceutical MultinationalFurther EducationHigher EducationInternational EducationLawMedia MonitoringMultinationalNHSPharmaceuticalPharmaceutical MultinationalPublic AdministrationRRO DigitalSchoolsTraining Generative AI and copyright Discover how CLA is addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by generative AI. Explore now Text and Data Mining CLA’s TDM licensing solution provides a world-leading, market-led solution to licensing the use of content at scale. TDM Licence Harnessing gen AI in the Finance Sector Balancing compliance and good governance practices with innovation in the gen AI era. As seen in Money Marketing. Read the article *All figures come from the CLA commissioned survey conducted in 2026 of 1,000 UK professionals, including 115 finance professionals.
