WIREDGOV

The Cabinet Office has signed an innovative 3 year copyright licensing deal in a move that will transform copyright licensing arrangements for central government and save money for taxpayers.

The new licence agreement with the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA) allows reproduction of digital or print material in magazines, journals and books, enabling civil servants to re-use copyright material when needed in their work. The deal does away with the multiple licences and different tariffs held by departments, with a single licence now covering over 90 departments and agencies.

This single annual transaction will remain in place until March 2016 and will reduce administrative burdens for government and create a level playing field across departments, delivering savings of £1.1 million a year for hard-working taxpayers.

Minister for Cabinet Office Francis Maude said:

As part of our long-term economic plan, this government is tackling wasteful spend across Whitehall. Last year alone we saved taxpayers £3.8 billion but hard-working people expect us to do more. This deal, which will save £1 million a year, shows how we can leverage our buying power by acting as a single customer.

Minister for Intellectual Property, Lord Younger said:

I welcome this new pan-governmental licence. It not only represents good value for money for the government and the taxpayer, but also it ensures that rights holders are properly remunerated for the use of their work.

The licence demonstrates that government continues to be committed to supporting the creative economy by reimbursing rights holders fairly for the use of their work.

The move is in line with the government’s recommendations in the Hargreaves Review to simplify the licensing process for copyright users in the digital age and joins other single sector licences which exist for NHS England and for English schools.