A Licence to Share: why you need a Corporate Website Republishing Licence

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Businesses rely on news media in various ways; keeping on top of what competitors are doing, as an analysis tool for consumer interests and brand reputation, or to showcase the great work their organisation has done.

If it’s your own products featured in the media, your company may want to shout loud and proud about this third party endorsement. Glowing reviews from newspapers and magazines on your website or social channels are a great way of showing potential customers that you aren’t the only one who loves your product or service.

However, in order to do this, businesses need one of two things: a NLA media access Corporate Website Republishing Licence (CWRL), or the permission of a publisher’s syndication department for each respective article.

A CWRL allows you to post news content to your website and on your company social media profiles. It gives you permission to post headlines, text extracts and PDF files on these sites, without the need to contact multiple publishers to gain their approval.

If you would prefer to seek permission from the individual publishers this must come from their syndication department not a journalist or other member of the editorial team. You should also ensure that you get this permission in writing.

Over 80 per cent of NLA media access revenue is returned directly to publishers who can then go on to continue to create the high quality content your business values. Through the purchase of a CWRL, and all other NLA media access licences, you will continue to support journalism across the UK and beyond.

You can apply for a CWRL by filling out the application form (which you can download here) or by speaking to your NLA media access account manager. For further information on the CWRL and how it works, click here.

So with a CWRL, the next time you see your company mentioned in a newspaper or magazine you don’t have to worry about infringing copyright law or permissions, instead you can focus on showing off the great work you do.