Actions that require a licence

Emailing icon

Emailing

Emailing copies of articles or extracts from publications.

Saving icon

Saving

Saving copies of articles or extracts on a local PC, central server or company intranet.

Sharing icon

Sharing

Providing multiple access or sharing media clippings online.

Uploading

Uploading

Uploading and republishing of articles on your website.

Photocopying icon

Photocopying

Photocopying or scanning from books, journals or magazines.

Printing icon

Printing

Copying or printing from electronic or online content.

Act responsibly. Protect your organisation. Support creatives.

Copy, Right.


The CLA licence provides an annual blanket cover so you don’t have to seek permissions from copyright owners each time you copy. This protects your business from potential copyright infringement whilst supporting the creative ecosystem to ensure quality content creative continues.

Do you receive press clippings?

If your organisation receives media clippings from a PR agency or a Media Monitoring Organisation, you require a CLA Business Licence to share these clippings internally.

This includes saving them to a shared drive, email, printing, copying or even forwarding these clippings throughout your organisation. Without the appropriate copyright licence, you are at risk of copyright infringement.

Are you a PR firm?

The Media Consultancy Licence is offered exclusively to PR and communications firms as an add-on to the Business Licence. Where the CLA Business Licence permits the copying and reuse of material only for internal purposes; the Media Consultancy Licence allows articles and news items to be copied and shared externally.

This licence provides comprehensive copyright clearance and the peace of mind that comes with it.

Hold a NLA Licence?

CLA and NLA are separate licensing bodies. If your organisation holds an NLA licence, it’s likely you require a CLA licence in addition to avoid copyright infringement. There is no crossover in the publications covered by each licence.

Compare licences

Website republishing

If your organisation republishes content on a website, you require a copyright licence to avoid copyright infringement. Discover more about website republishing and what is permitted with a copyright licence from CLA.

Discover more

What can and can't be copied

With a CLA licence, you are permitted to copy and share millions of publications. There are some exclusions, as shown below.
Permitted Not permitted
Books Workbooks, workcards, assignment sheets, test/assessment papers
Journals Maps and charts
Magazines Newspapers*
Digital version or ebooks Printed music
Some websites A work which has been expressly excluded by the rightsholder

*Newspapers may be copied under NLA Media Access Licence

A licence tailored to you

Our range of copyright licences have been specifically developed to cover the individual requirements of organisations. By ensuring your business is protected, you unlock supporting digital tools to help you get the most out of your copyright licence.

The cost of our copyright licence is based on the type and size of your organisation.

Business

Our Business Licence provides a simple solution for copyright compliance, enabling you to research, collaborate, and create with peace of mind.

Discover how you can legally reuse content from millions of digital and print publications ranging from trade magazines to scientific journals and news websites, including articles from media monitoring services.

Education

Our range of licences and services supports teaching and learning across the UK education sector, including state-funded and independent schools, further education colleges, universities, and commercial language schools.

Learn how your institution can access and share content lawfully to educate the creators of tomorrow.

Public Sector

Our licences and solutions provide essential support and peace of mind to the public sector, whether you are an NHS staff member, a local government worker, or a decision-maker in central government.

Discover how you can easily and legally access, reuse, and share content from millions of scientific, technical, and medical publications.

Speak to our team

Discuss your options and start your copyright licence application

Your questions answered

Our answers to your most frequently asked questions. Discover more about CLA Licences and protecting your organisation from copyright infringement.
Our business and public administration licences allow unlimited storage on a company intranet provided that the publisher is signed up to our licensing scheme and the publication is covered. To see if a publication is covered under the licence please use the Check Permissions search tool on our website. If the publication is not covered by your licence then you would need to seek clearance from the publisher directly.
You can make copies when you have one of our licences.
Many major magazine titles can be copied under our licences – further information about reusing this kind of content here. Some magazines are licensed by NLA Media Access. You can see if you are covered to copy from any magazine by using our Check Permissions search tool. Permission to copy content from national or regional newspapers is granted by NLA Media Access.
You will need to get permission from the map publisher. Standard licences are available from most major map publishing companies such as Street Map and the Ordnance Survey.
If you are a PR firm, marketing agency or similar and you want to provide copies of news and current affairs articles externally to clients, you need CLA’s Media Consultancy Licence. Providing electronic or hard copies of articles or links by email is not permitted under the standard CLA Business Licence; without the Media Consultancy Licence or direct permission from the rightsholder, your firm could be exposed to the risk of copyright infringement. This includes forwarding clippings and web links received via Media Monitoring Organisations to your clients.