Phone: +353 1 668 9099 | Email: info@newspaperlicensing.ie

About Newspaper Licensing Ireland

NLI works on behalf of our member publishers to ensure that those who wish to use newspaper content for commercial purposes are appropriately licensed.

We provide simple and cost-effective licensing models that permit organisations to legally access, use and share articles and content from a range of national and regional newspapers, magazines and international publications.

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Information for Publishers

Licensing solutions that enable access and use of copyright content, while ensuring the rights of publishers are respected and that they receive a fair remuneration for the use of their content.

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Understanding Copyright

NLI aims to ensure a fair remuneration for those who have invested in the generation of original news content, i.e. the publisher, when that content is used by others.

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Members & Publications

The NLI licence framework is particularly effective because the vast majority of Irish publishers have committed their publications to our licence mechanism.

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Why Licensing?

Media coverage has a high value to commercial organisations

Businesses have a have a strong vested interest in what the media writes about them and, as a result, routinely monitor the media for mentions of brand or product, competitor behaviour, sectoral activity or even any social, economic or governmental debate that is relevant to them.

Press cuttings are then likely to be accessed, copied and shared both internally (hard copy, intranet, email) and externally (website, social media) by employees as part of their daily activity.

Publishers value the part they play in contributing to daily debate and information exchange, and understand that companies may wish to shared and reference their material.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is NLI?

Newspaper Licensing Ireland (NLI) is a copyright collecting society, we facilitate the commercial use and copying of newspaper, magazine and website content. An NLI licence permits companies and organisations to copy and use articles in accordance with copyright law and with the aim of supporting journalism. NLI was founded in 2002. We are registered with the Irish patent’s office as a copyright licensing body. We are authorised by the Copyright & Related Rights Act 2000 (Section 39).

Why do I need a licence from NLI?

A NLI licence ensure a seamless and cost-effective way of gaining copyright approval from individual publishers. Our licence will protect an organisation from breaching copyright law. It will also provide assurance that publishers are being rewarded for their work and effort.

What gives NLI the authority to issue licences?

We are expressly mandated by the newspaper publishers whose work appears in our portfolio to authorise media monitoring and other reproduction on their behalf. We are mandated by the Irish Copyright and Licensing Agency (ICLA) to authorise media monitoring and other reproduction of the magazines whose work appears in our portfolio. NLI is registered with the Patents Office on the Register of Copyright Licensing Bodies.

Is the newspaper and magazine content in the public domain?

It is in the public domain, however it is still under copyright . The publishers who invested in the creation of newspaper or magazine content have the right to (a) commercially benefit from their work and (b) control how that work is used, so you may not copy and distribute their content without permission. That permission comes in the form of a licence from NLI.

What does infringing copyright mean?

The Copyright & Related Rights Act 2000 gives publishers the legal right to protect their intellectual property – their online and print content. Publishers invest heavily in producing original content which is something we all value. The licensing system is really an incentive for publishers to keep producing what they are producing. If an organisation wants to make a copy of a published work, it will need permission from the copyright owner. In the case of newspapers, this is granted by individual publisher permission or an NLI licence.

What happens if I ignore or decide not to take a licence?

Without a licence from NLI, you do not have permission to access, copy, share or otherwise use copyrighted newspaper and magazine content in a commercial context. If you engage in these activities without a licence from NLI, you may be in breach of copyright law and could be subject to legal proceedings.

Do I need a licence for copying online content?

Yes, you do. Publishers own the copyright to their online content. Newspapers make huge investments in creating their online content, often with original content that does not appear in print, and they need to be compensated for their efforts.

I issued a press release to a newspaper, do I own that content?

Everything as it appears in a published edition of a newspaper, both online and in print is the property of the publishers. Your press release has a lot more value when it appears in a published newspaper or magazine.

Do I require a licence if I use a PR or MMO company?

Yes, you do. The MMOs/PR companies do not own the content they send to you, our publishers do. You need our publisher’s permission to view their content and our licence grants that permission.

How are the licence fees calculated?

Licence fees are calculated on the basis of the number of employees in the organisation or, in the case of Media Monitoring Organisations, the number of clients.

Why is the price calculated by the total number of employees?

By basing the licence fee on the total number of employees, it ensures that all employees are then covered to copy, share and use content – even if not all employees access the material directly. Furthermore, as licence tariffs are registered with the Patents Office, individual deals cannot be negotiated but must all be based on employee numbers.

Do charity organisations require a licence too?

Yes, charities also require a licence to copy, share or otherwise use copyrighted news content, however a discount may be available for qualifying organisations on request.

Our role

Before copying, sharing or otherwise using newspaper content, you must have the permission of the copyright owner. This permission is granted in the form of a licence from NLI. Our collective licensing model makes it easy for companies and employees to freely share content while complying with copyright legislation.

The Copyright and Related Rights Act, 2000 operates in conjunction with the mandate given to NLI by the publishers we represent to authorise NLI to licence the commercial use of newspaper and magazine content.

Supporting Irish journalism

NLI is proud to sponsor the Young Journalist of the Year category as part of the NewsBrands Ireland Journalism Awards.

By sponsoring this award, we are helping to nurture the next generation of journalists whose work is at the heart of Ireland’s news content ecosystem.

Pictured at this NewsBrands Journalism Awards is the 2022 Young Journalist of the Year, Ciara Phelan of the Irish Mirror (second from right), with Allan Prosser, member of the judging panel (left), Colette McCann, NLI Customer Services Manager, and Colm O’Reilly, Chair of NewsBrands Ireland.

NLI operate under a constitution and is registered with the Intellectual Properties Office of Ireland in the Register of Copyright Licensing Bodies.

NLI is a founding member of the Press Database & Licensing Network (PDLN) and a member of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO).

Irish Copyright Licensing Agency (ICLA) now also represent our interests in their international bi-lateral agreements.