NEW YORK and LONDON—The Association of American University Presses (AAUP) announced today that it would work together with the Publishers Licensing Society (PLS) to create awareness for UK Royalties Direct, a new program for American publishers that offers unparalleled visibility into how their works are used in the UK, while providing greater protections for their intellectual property and streamlining the payment and processing of rights revenue.
UK Royalties Direct manages the collection and distribution of collective licensing revenues for copying and use of extracts by educational institutions and a diverse array of businesses in the UK. No fees are required to sign up for the program which has already enrolled a number of leading publishers including Harvard University Press, The MIT Press, Wiley, Cornell University Press, Lynne Rienner Publishers, UNC Press, and NYU Press.
Peter Berkery, Executive Director of the AAUP, said:
“The PLS has long been a trusted partner to publishers in the UK and around the world. Their UK Royalties Direct Program holds promise to bridge a gap in licensing revenues for American University presses, and we encourage our member presses to explore this new service.”
Sarah Faulder, Chief Executive of the Publishers Licensing Society, said:
“UK Royalties Direct is the surest way for publishers and authors to protect their rights and collect revenue for the use of their works in the UK, and we are delighted to work with the AAUP to help create awareness with their member presses for this new program.”
In support of the launch of UK Royalties Direct, PLS has retained Ted Hill, President, THA Consulting as their sole authorized agent and territory expert in North America. Publishers who wish to find out how they can take advantage of this new program should contact PLS at royaltiesdirect@pls.org.uk. A webcast for AAUP members, exploring global educational licensing trends as well as the UK Royalties Direct program, is being planned for early in the new year.
About the AAUP
The Association of American University Presses is an organization of 140 international nonprofit scholarly publishers. Since 1937, AAUP advances the essential role of a global community of publishers whose mission is to ensure academic excellence and cultivate knowledge. The Association holds integrity, diversity, stewardship, and intellectual freedom as core values. AAUP members are active across many scholarly disciplines, including the humanities, the arts, and sciences, publish significant regional and literary work, and are innovators in the world of digital publishing.
About the PLS
The Publishers Licensing Society offers rights management services to the publishing industry. PLS is not-for-profit; set up by the industry, for the industry, with their primary remit being to oversee collective licensing for book, journal, magazine and website copying for the 3,300 publishers they represent.
Media Queries
John Michael Eadicicco
Communications Coordinator, AAUP
jeadicicco@aaupnet.org
212.989.1010 x24
Joanna Waters
Communications and Events Manager, PLS
j.waters@pls.org.uk
0207 079 5938