Licence
Licence Agreement on Photocopying and Scanning of Printed Copyright Materials
Hong Kong Reprographic Rights Licensing Society offers an appropriate licensing scheme, entitled the Licence Agreement on Photocopying and Scanning of Printed Copyright Materials (the “Licence Agreement”), which allows individuals or groups to legally copy and scan the contents of a limited amount of copyright protected published works for distribution in government agencies, schools, universities, or commercial organisations.
The Licence Agreement also covers copy shops and commercial organisations so that they can continue to provide services to their customers without violating copyright laws.
For more information about the Licence Agreement on Photocopying and Scanning of Printed Copyright Materials, please contact us.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you need a licence?
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. If you do so, and cannot rely on one of the limited defences, you are infringing the owner’s copyright and will be subjected to civil and criminal liability.
What are the restrictions on copying and scanning copyrighted works in schools participating in the Licence Agreement?
Teachers/staff/students must make copies on campus with photocopiers, speed printers, mimeographs, scanners, printers, etc. The work to be copied must be a limited excerpt from a book, magazine, newspaper and periodical published in print. For details, please refer to the Photocopying & Guidelines for School Licence for more information on photocopying copyrighted works.
Under the Licence Agreement on Photocopying and Scanning of Printed Copyright Materials, what are the restrictions on photocopying textbooks?
Under Licence Agreement, each school may not copy more than three textbooks of the same curriculum per academic year. Each textbook may not be copied more than 5% of the total number of pages. If the school copies exceed the number permitted by the Licence Agreement or exceed the scope of the guarantee, the school shall apply to the HKRRLS ten working days in advance and the additional space will be charged at the price set by the individual copyright owner.
The licence does not cover workbooks, workcards, exercise books, worksheets, assignment sheets, tests, examination papers, and teacher resources, including instructors’ manuals, solution manuals, test banks and teachers’ guides.
For more details on the Licence Agreement, please refer to Introduction to the Licensing Agreement on Photocopying and Scanning of Printed Copyright Materials (Chinese only) and the Photocopying & Guidelines for School Licence.
How do I find a copy shop entering the Licence Agreement on Photocopying and Scanning of Printed Copyright Materials?
All copy shops participating in the Licence Agreement on Photocopying and Scanning of Printed Copyright Materials are listed on this website, please refer to the licensed photocopiers on this website to legally photocopy copyright works to avoid contravention of the Copyright Ordinance on Photocopy Books.
How do I know if my institution is involved in the Licence Agreement?
To enquire whether your organisation has participated in the Licence Agreement, please contact us.
How do I apply to become a Licenced establishment?
To apply for a licence, please contact us at 2516 6268; Email: info@hkrrls.org.hk.
Do the copyright royalty charges include scanning and photocopying copyrighted works?
The copyright royalty charges are divided into two categories, one is the Copyright Royalty Charge for Photocopying Licence, and the other is Copyright Royalty Charge for Scanning cum Photocopying Licence, which are different and charge different fees for different institutions.
Can businesses participate in the Licence scheme and how much is the Copyright Royalty Charges?
Businesses can participate in the Licence scheme, and the related fees can be found in the page of copyright royalty charges.