Copyright Licensing Agency Licence: multiple copies of print resources

The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) is a body which represents a large number of UK and overseas publishers and licenses organisations for photocopying copyright material. The University has a Licence with the CLA which, within clearly defined limits, permits the making of multiple copies of extracts of copyright material by and for the benefit of authorised persons.

Visit: Copyright Licensing Agency website (external website)

Who is an authorised person?

Authorised persons are current members of staff and registered students of the University. 

This includes distance learning students.

Note, however, students studying on short-term courses, delivered on a cost-recovery basis, in return for a fee and which are not included in the UCAS brochure are not classed as authorised persons. If you need to copy material for such students, contact Information Services Short Loans for advice. 

What the Licence covers

The Licence covers most most books, journals, conference proceedings and law reports published in the UK and in the so-called "mandating territories" which are:

• Australia,
• Canada (including Quebec),
• Denmark,
• Finland, 
• France, 
• Greece, 
• Germany, 
• Iceland, 
• The Netherlands, 
• New Zealand, 
• Norway, 
• Republic of Ireland, 
• South Africa, 
• Spain, 
• Sweden,
• Switzerland. 

Details of those publishers and particular works which are excluded from the Licence can be found on the current CLA List of excluded categories and works (external website).

Some material published in the USA is covered by the Licence but only if it is produced by one of the participating US publishers listed on the CLA website. There is also a list of Excluded CCC (Copyright Clearance Center) works showing particular items which are not covered by the Licence.

If you intend that all students on a module should have their own copy of an item or items, e.g. a journal article or a chapter from a book, then a course pack should be created. A course pack can consist of one or more items. For more detailed information on the process, please see 'Creating a course pack'.

Visit:  Creating a course pack

If the material you wish to be included in the course pack is covered by the CLA Licence and is not on the current CLA List of excluded categories and works and is within the copying limits set by the Licence (see below), creating your pack should be a relatively straightforward process. 

Visit: List of excluded categories and works webpage (external website)

If the material is not covered by the CLA Licence or is beyond the copying limits, the process will be more complicated and lengthy. 

Contact Information Services Short Loans for advice and assistance on all your course pack requirements. 

How much can be copied?

There are limits on the amount of material which can be copied and included in a course pack without express permission first being needed from the rights holder(s).

These are:

• up to 5% or one whole chapter (whichever is the greater) from a book,
• up to 5% or one whole article (whichever is the greater) from a single issue of a journal,
• up to 5% or one paper (whichever is the greater) from a set of conference proceedings,
• up to 5% of an anthology of short stories or poems or one short story or one poem of not more than 10 pages (whichever is the greater),
• up to 5% or one single case (whichever is the greater) from a published report of judicial proceedings. 

The CLA Licence permits the copying of graphical images, e.g. diagrams, illustrations, photographs etc." and their inclusion in course packs, whether they are separate or accompany illustrative text, e.g. they appear in the context of a journal article.  Note that maps, charts and books of tables are not covered by the CLA Licence. Please see Creating a Course Pack for further details.

Visit:  Creating a course pack

The number of copies which can be made of each extract and included in the course pack, must not exceed the number needed to ensure that each student on the module and the course tutor are supplied with their own copy. 

Other copying for students

Sometimes, you may wish to copy and distribute material to students without creating a course pack. You may do this provided that the material is covered by the CLA Licence and is not on the current CLA List of excluded categories and works AND your copying is within the limits set out above.

Visit: List of excluded categories and works webpage (external website)

Remember, the number of copies which can be made of each extract must not exceed the number needed to ensure that each student on the module and the course tutor are supplied with their own copy.

Before you make copies for distribution, you will need to check that the University itself owns the original. If it does not, Information Service Short Loans will obtain a Copyright Fee Paid (CFP) copy which can then be used to create the multiple copies. If you own the original yourself in your personal collection, please advise Short Loans of this when you contact them.

If material is secondary or supplementary reading, i.e. you do not intend that all students on a module should have their own copy; it may be possible for it to be included in the Information Service Offprints Collection. Only material which is covered by the CLA Licence and which is not on the current CLA List of excluded categories and works will be accepted for inclusion in the Collection. 

Visit: List of excluded categories and works webpage (external website)

For more information about Offprints:

Visit:  The Offprints Collection

Information Services subscribes to a wide range of electronic resources: e-books, e- journals and databases, which may provide a very real alternative to course packs or the Offprints Collection. A full collection of links to these can be found in the Online Library. Contact your subject librarian for advice on selecting the best e-resources for your subject area.