How to Request the Use of Portions of Copyrighted Work
- 1). Contact the publisher for printed material, or production company for audio or video recordings to request the contact information for its copyright office. Many times this can be found on the company's website, but it is a good idea to contact the company directly to ensure you have the most up-to-date information. If the material is copyrighted by an individual, you will need to contact that person directly.
- 2). Contact the copyright office for the company you are requesting permission from. Many times, they will have forms to fill out and fax in. In almost every case, you will have to provide a detailed description of the material you wish to use. This is easy for printed material, since you can just provide a copy, but it can become difficult for audio and video content.
- 3). Send in the required forms along with whatever fees the company charges for use of its copyrighted material. These fees vary greatly from company to company and can be extremely expensive. If you are dealing with an individual, be sure to get all agreements in writing, including the exact description of the material you will be using.
- 4). Get ancillary permissions, if necessary. If you are using a video segment from a motion picture, for instance, you need to get permission from the Screen Actor's Guild to use the images of the actor's in the film and from the screenwriter's and musician's organizations in addition to the production company's permissions. All of these organizations have copyright offices that can be contacted.
- 5). Avoid using the material until the copyright permission has been issued in writing. The responsibility for copyright permission is, by law, on the person requesting the copyright. If there is a misunderstanding, the copyright owner is protected and the person making the request must show his right to use the material.