We’ve heard from several Aotearoa New Zealand businesses who have been contacted by the Denmark-based organisation Copyright Agent recently, over the unlicensed use of photographs owned by other parties.
We have no affiliation with Copyright Agent but to help to clear up any uncertainty, we thought we’d explain who we are and what we do – and our understanding of what Copyright Agent does.
Who we are: Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ)
We are a not-for-profit based in Aotearoa New Zealand. We provide licences so that New Zealand organisations that regularly copy and share printed material can do the right thing, meet their copyright responsibilities and ensure the authors and publishers who own the copied work are paid for its use. We also provide auction house licences so that when art is reproduced for promotional purposes on the secondary art market, artists can receive fair payment. We pay the licence money we collect back to the authors, artists and publishers who own the works that have been used – and our shareholder organisations are the New Zealand Society of Authors and the Publishers Association of New Zealand.
We have no connection to Copyright Agent.
Find out more about us .
Copyright Agent is a Denmark-based company
It provides services to copyright owners to find unpermitted instances of use of their photographs and text on the internet. For example, news agency Reuters and stock photo agency Alamy each have statements on their websites setting out their partnerships with Copyright Agent (viewable here and here).
What to do if Copyright Agent has contacted you
Please get in touch with Copyright Agent via the contact details on their email. Or take a look at their website.
Best-practice information for using our CLNZ licences and using content you find on the internet
If you hold a current CLNZ licence, when you want to use and share content from books, journals, magazines and newspapers, our licence has you covered (detailed information, specific to your licence type is on our website and in your licensing documents).
But what if you find something interesting or educational – or illustrative – on the internet? Can you use it in your materials, in a newsletter, or on your website? Even though something is available on the internet, it might not be material that the creator is sharing freely. Many websites set out clear copyright statements. When it comes to images there are some websites that allow free use under creative commons licences (make sure you check that what you want to do is included). But many images are not freely available for public use.
Best practice for any content you find on the internet is: if you’re unsure, seek permission.
Still have questions? Drop us a line or take a look at our Knowledge Base
Image credit: Marvin Meyer on Unsplash