The Emirates Reprographic Rights Association
Spread knowledge.
protect creativity.
Copyright Management, Education & cultural promotion
Copyright
Consequently, copyright management organizations like ERRA (The Emirates Reprographic Rights Association) work dedicatedly toward creating an adequate framework that serves both creators and publishers.
We strive to encourage educational institutions to obtain a reprographics license and, that way, comply with all regulations involved. For us, copyright is an essential component of progress and innovation that grants creators protection of their work while giving them the right to choose how it’ll be used. Therefore, for a work’s copyright to be protected, this must be new and original and not copied from another work.
Importance of Copyright / UAE Copyright Law

Copyrights are gaining more importance than ever in this highly digital world. As it has become easier for ideas and works to be copied and reproduced, reproduction can be damaging to both national economies and innovation. Being just one form of intellectual property, copyright is the right that creators have over their literary and artistic works to prevent others from making copies of their works without permission – among other rights. For the copyright to be protected, the manifested work needs to be original. Originality or creativeness under UAE Copyright Law is defined as the element that makes the work “genuine” and “distinguishes” it from other works. Therefore, the work has to be new and original, not copied from another work. In terms of these original works, they include:
- Books, brochures, articles, and other written Works;
- Smart applications, computer programmes and applications, databases, and similar works determined by a decision of the Minister.
- Lectures, speeches, oral and written sermons and other works of a similar nature.
- Theatrical works, musical shows, and pantomime.
- Musical works, either with or without words.
- Audio, visual, or audio-visual works.
Under the form of collective management, authors and publishers give mandates to ERRA to represent them, grants licenses on their behalf that authorize permission for third-party use, collect and distribute remuneration. Therefore, ERRA plays a fundamental role in protecting copyright.






Is there a way for an author to tell if a library user was copying his/her work without permission? Responsibilities for managing reprographic rights are complex. The rights are, therefore, coordinated through organisations such as ERRA.
In addition to monitoring and enforcing rights, the organization also collects and distributes royalties to rightsholders. A key function of ERRA will be monitoring the use of print and digital works in educational institutions, libraries, and print centres in collaboration with relevant government entities including ministries of economy and education.



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News & Events
ERRA Makes its Debut at Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, Pioneers Copyright Protection in the UAE Sharjah, 24...
Membership enables the Emirates Reprographic Rights Management Association to bolster its role in protecting publishers’ rights The Emirates...
Region’s first-of-its-kind Emirates Reprographic Rights Management Association was launched at House of Wisdom Launch of ERRA marks a...