Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society

What is copyright? In general, copyright is the right given to the owner of an original work....

Licence

Why do you need a licence?

READING CULTURE PROMOTION

The Promotion Of Local Publications And Reading Culture Programme aims to achieve mutual benefits for the publishing sector and the Hong Kong Public Libraries...

HKRRLS Partners

Over the past 20 years, with the tremendous support from our partners, HKRRLS has successfully secured greater copyright protection for the publishing industry.

Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society (HKRRLS) was established in 1995 by Hong Kong authors and publishers. It is a reprographic rights organisation responsible for granting licenses to the public, including but not limited to primary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions, various government departments, public institutions, commercial organisations, associations, libraries, photocopying shops, to use the copyrighted works of its represented authors and publishers. As a reprographic rights organisation, HKRRLS aims to protect the intellectual property rights of its represented authors and publishers and to raise public awareness of copyright and collective management organisations. Over the past years, HK Reprographic Rights Licensing Society has gained support from many local partners and successfully strives for greater reprographic rights protection for the publishing industry. In addition, it has made every effort to combat illegal copying and copyright infringement and cooperated with effective copyright education so as to deepen the awareness of respecting the copyright of the public and avoid inadvertent infringement of the copyright under any circumstances (such as teaching, etc.). HK Reprographic Rights Licensing Society now represents millions of publications published in Hong Kong and overseas, via its affiliation with the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations and through bilateral agreements with over 40 overseas Reproduction Rights organizations (RRO). It has also established close business ties with copyright collective management organizations and copyright institutions in many countries around the world. Our website provides a range of information related to the service of reprographic rights of books in Hong Kong, such as copyright royalty charges and licensing schemes. Besides, you may find the details of various programmes implemented by HK Reprographic Rights Licensing Society, including the Pilot Programme for the Promotion of Local Publications and Reading Culture, Publishing 3.0 HK Smart eBook Hub Promotion Scheme, and Reward Scheme to Combat Illegal Photocopying of Books and Periodicals, etc. Frequently asked questions What is the work of Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society? HK Reprographic Rights Licensing Society is a reprographic rights organisation which has been committed to providing licenses to the public, including but not limited to primary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions, various government departments, public institutions, commercial organisations, associations, libraries, photocopying shops, to use the copyrighted works of its represented authors and publishers. Besides, HKRRLS has been organizing copyright education campaigns since 2007 to promote the respect copyright concept to students and the general public, and raise the public awareness of copyright and collective management organisations. How much is the copyright fee of textbooks? Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society can provide a suitable licensing scheme that allows individuals or groups to legally reproduce or copy and scan the contents of a limited number of published works for distribution in government agencies, schools, universities, or commercial organizations. For more information on the copyright charges for textbooks in Hong Kong, please refer to the "Copyright Royalty Charges" on our site. How to apply for a license? The Copyright Ordinance states that people cannot make copies of substantial portions of copyright works such as books, magazines, newspapers, journals or periodicals, without permission from the copyright owner or without a licence from a licencing body like HKRRLS. Under HKRRLS licensing scheme such as the “Licence Agreement on Photocopying and Scanning of Printed Copyright Materials”, the licensee may legally photocopy a limited amount of copyright works in accordance with the "Copyright Ordinance" . For more information about our licence scheme, please contact us. Does photocopying textbooks for teaching purpose constitute infringement? The copyright licences of HKRRLS meet the needs of local people who wish to use published materials while respecting the rights of copyright owners. Regarding the photocopying of textbooks or reprographic rights of various books for teaching purpose, please refer to the FAQs on Copyright and Education provided by the Intellectual Property Department. HKRRLS is a reprographic rights organisation that grants licenses to the public, including but not limited to primary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions, various government departments, public institutions, commercial organizations, associations, libraries, and photocopying shops, to use the copyrighted works of its represented authors and publishers around the world. Under the Licensing Agreement on Photocopying and Scanning signed between the school and HKRRLS, teachers can use copyright works in moderation. For details about the scope of authorization of the license agreement, please refer to the Introduction to the Licence Agreements on Photocopying and Scanning and the Photocopying & Guidelines for School Licence, to know more about the use of copyright works for instructional purposes. Is 「香港版權影印授權協會有限公司」 the same as 「香港書刊版權授權協會有限公司」? The Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society is pleased to announce that subsequent to the passing of a special resolution by the Members at the Extraordinary General Meeting held on 14 February 2019 approving the Change of the Society Chinese Name, the Certificate of Change of Name was issued by the Registrar of Companies of Hong Kong on 26 February 2019. The English name of the Society will remain unchanged. Accordingly, the Chinese name of the Society has been changed from 「香港版權影印授權協會有限公司」 to 「香港書刊版權授權協會有限公司」 with effect from 26 February 2019. HKRRLS being the reprographic rights organisation in Hong Kong, will continue to provide licensing services to the public so that the public can legally use works from around the world in Hong Kong. What is the relationship between Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society and the Intellectual Property Department? Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society is one of the six licensing bodies registered with the Copyright Licensing Bodies Registry in Hong Kong. The Intellectual Property Department has been supporting the copyright education campaigns organized by HKRRLS since 2007. The greatest significance of these campaigns is to cultivate Hong Kong students to promote the respect copyright concept to students and the general public and to inspire students’ creative thinking and put them in the creator’s role to bring up the awareness and the importance of respecting copyright. For more details, please refer to the Intellectual Property Department under "Hong Kong Partners" on our page. What is the relationship between Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society and the Customs & Excise Department (C&ED)? Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society has worked closely with the Customs & Excise Department and set up a Reward Scheme to combat illegal photocopying of books and periodicals. The Reward Scheme is financed by the Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society (HKRRLS) and is fully administered by the Customs & Excise Department. This aims to encourage the public to provide information to Customs to combat copying service businesses (such as copy shops) involved in activities of making infringing copies of copyright work in books, and organizations involved in activities of making infringing copies of copyright work in books or periodicals for distribution without the authorization of the copyright owner for the purpose of trade/business to an extent leading to a financial loss to the copyright owner. For more details, please refer to the Customs & Excise Department (C&ED) under "Hong Kong Partners" on our page.