Within a single university, thousands of students and faculty members use books, articles, research papers, and printed and digital resources every day. A professor may need to share a chapter from a book with students or include an article as part of a course. However, obtaining separate permission from every author and publisher each time is simply not practical.
This is where collective reprographic rights licensing provides an effective solution. A single licence allows an institution to use a broad range of protected works within clearly defined terms and limits, while a Reproduction Rights Organization (RRO) manages the licensing process, collects fees, and distributes remuneration to rightsholders.
Why Has This Model Succeeded Worldwide?
The strength of collective licensing lies in the benefits it provides to all parties. Universities gain a clear legal framework that makes it easier for students and faculty to use content, while authors and publishers receive remuneration for the use of their works. Meanwhile, RROs manage the process instead of requiring thousands of individual transactions.
This model has proven successful in several developed markets. In Norway, agreements managed by Kopinor cover different levels of education, including universities and schools. In 2024, the organization distributed approximately NOK 297.6 million to Norwegian rightsholders from licenses covering education and other sectors.
In Australia, Copyright Agency licenses covered more than 9,600 schools and over four million students, as well as approximately 1.4 million university students. The education sector alone generated around AUD 91 million in revenue during the 2024–2025 financial year.
One Licence, Multiple Benefits
For educational institutions, licensing is not only about copyright compliance. It also provides a simpler and safer way to use knowledge as part of teaching and learning.
For creators, it transforms the use of a book or article into economic value that can be collected and distributed. Instead of trying to track every individual use, the RRO becomes the link between the institution and the rightsholder.
This is why collective licensing has succeeded worldwide: it offers a practical answer to a complex question — how can we provide thousands of students with access to knowledge while protecting the rights of thousands of authors and publishers?
The answer is a system that brings both sides together: one license that facilitates access to knowledge while protecting those who create it.
