Copyright body claims rise in licence applications after legal action against council

The Copyright Licensing Agency has claimed a surge in local authorities taking out licences since it brought legal action against Brighton & Hove City Council last year.

In April 2013 Brighton & Hove agreed to pay an undisclosed sum to cover legal costs and retrospective licence fees. The authority also agreed to take out a CLA licence.

The CLA had claimed that the council’s ‘no copying’ policy was not working and that copyright infringement had taken place.

The agency has reported that 46 local authorities have subsequently taken out a licence.

However, it claimed that “around 130 councils remain unlicensed, though CLA maintains that it is likely that they are copying from digital and print titles covered by a CLA licence”.

CLA Legal Director, Martin Delaney, said: “The announcement that over forty local authorities have taken CLA licences makes for pleasing reading. It demonstrates that an attitude change is underway among councils, although a significant number do remain unlicensed whilst most likely copying from CLA titles."