Gaining media coverage is a key objective of many PR and marketing strategies and often form key metrics when assessing the success of a particular campaign or announcement. However, did you know that forwarding articles, saving screenshots of news appearances and even accepting media monitoring reports for external platforms and agencies can put you at risk of copyright infringement?
Why do I need a copyright license to share my coverage?
Many businesses assume copyright licensing only applies to publishers or media organisations. In reality, any organisation that regularly shares published content could require licensing cover. This includes:
- Sharing media coverage featuring your organisation
- Circulating industry news roundups
- Distributing competitor intelligence reports
- Receiving and sharing content from a media monitoring agency
- Archiving news articles for future reference
What is the CLA?
The Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) provides licences that allow organisations to copy, share, store and reuse content from a vast range of published materials without needing to seek permission from individual publishers every time. These materials can include books, journals, professional publications, selected magazines, websites and other published content.
What is the NLA?
NLA Media Access provides licensing for newspaper content and selected magazine and digital media content. Its licences allow organisations to reproduce and distribute material from national newspapers, regional newspapers, newspaper websites and a range of other participating publications.
Are there any crossovers between CLA and NLA and do construction businesses need both?
Whilst they seem very similar, the outlets covered by the CLA and NLA are separate, meaning there is no significant overlap between the content they cover. Organisations that appear in and need to access a broad range of published information are likely to need both licences.
Assessing whether you need a license
If you’re unsure whether your business requires a CLA licence, an NLA licence, or both, consider the following questions:
- Do employees regularly share newspaper or magazine articles?
- Do you distribute media coverage internally?
- Do you receive content from a media monitoring provider?
- Are articles stored on your intranet or shared drives?
- Do teams use published reports or journal content for research purposes?
- Is third-party content regularly circulated between departments?
If the answer to several of these questions is yes, it may be worth reviewing your current licensing arrangements and copyright compliance processes.
What are the risks of not getting a license?
Organisations may face legal action for unauthorised copying of copyrighted material, and licensing bodies can seek retrospective licensing fees. Beyond legal considerations, unlicensed content sharing can create operational and reputational risks. As businesses become increasingly focused on demonstrating good governance, ensuring copyright compliance should be considered part of a responsible information management strategy.
Do I need a license to share content we have created and/or paid for?
A common misunderstanding is that if an organisation supplied the information behind an article, press release, interview, or announcement, it automatically owns the resulting coverage and can share it however it likes. In reality, the copyright in the published article belongs to the publisher or content creator, not the organisation featured in the story, even if the placement has been paid for. This means that the above still applies.
How can Smith Goodfellow help?
Navigating copyright licensing can feel complex, particularly for organisations that rely on media monitoring, press coverage, and industry intelligence to inform decision-making. At Smith Goodfellow, we work closely with clients to help develop robust media strategies and reporting frameworks that deliver value whilst supporting good governance and compliance. If you’re unsure whether your current approach to media reporting is fit for purpose, get in touch to see how we could help.
Smith Goodfellow has been a trusted partner for construction communications for over 46 years. Book in a free, no obligation discovery call to explore how we can support your communications strategy. You can also discuss any of the content in our blogs with us on our social channels: Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Threads.