1.Where to get permission
It is normal to request permission via the publisher of the work. The publisher will often have a permissions department to deal with such requests, or may use the services of a copyright clearance or licensing service. If the publisher cannot give permission directly, they will certainly know who you should contact, (as they will have obtained permission themselves in order to use the work in the first place).
If for example, the author is personally known to you, it may be possible to obtain permission via a private agreement. In such cases you should ensure you get an agreement in writing to avoid any future disagreements.
For website content, it is normal to contact the webmaster of the site. The webmaster may either give permission directly or refer your request to someone in the company who can deal with your request.
For photographs, (i.e. wedding pictures), it is normally to contact the photographer, (or company), that took the images. As they will normally control the rights to the photos, and will have their own reproduction or duplication charges.
2.When to get permission
Simply stated, the sooner you request permission, the better. The publisher may need time to contact the owner or arrange licensing agreements, and there is no guarantee that permission will be granted. It may also be that the terms of any licensing agreement makes the proposition prohibitive. You will need time to re-think your strategy if you are unable to use the work you want.
3.Should I expect to pay?
Yes. If you intend to make a commercially salable product, you should normally expect to pay royalties linked to the number of units sold. For non-commercial products, a flat fee may often be negotiated.
4.Applying for permission
To speed up any request, you should include the following information in a request:
•A full description of the work you wish to use:
•The name of the author and title of the work.
•If the work is a book, the ISBN number, (or ISSN for periodicals).
•An exact description of the content you wish to include. (including any title, version, illustrations/images/diagrams, chapter/section/page numbers, start and end points of the extract required, etc.)
•How the work will be used:
•Will it be adapted, performed, or re-recorded?
•If it will be changed in any way, give specific details of the changes, and assurances that the work will not be used to miss-lead, slander, or bring the author into disrepute.
•Will it be included within other content, and if so what is the overall context, and what proportion of the overall work does the copied content represent.
•An estimated number of units you expect to sell, (if applicable), and the time scale over which you expect to sell them.
•How will the work be reproduced, (i.e. published in book format, released online, etc.)
•Give assurances that the work will be properly attributed.
Include full contact details of the person wishing to use the work, (or agent if applicable), to ensure that you can be contacted in case of any questions.
5.Attribute the work correctly
Always include the source or your material and state the name of the owner and include the correct copyright notice for the copied work.
