Republishing Newspaper Articles and Reprints

Republishing is copying, replicating or republishing a work that has already been made available to the general public. Examples of works that can be republished are books, newspaper articles, and blog posts.

Generally speaking, a reprint is a material that is re-published after its original publication date. It can also be a customized version of a specific article, unbundled from its original publication. This type of reprint may also have the original publication’s masthead placed on top, such as in reprints of old newspapers.
 

Yes. If you intend to republish someone else’s article, you must first obtain their permission. When someone publishes an article they own the copyright, which means that they are the only ones who can legally distribute, reproduce, or repurpose that work. If someone else uses the work without the copyright holder’s permission, they are infringing on the copyright.

Yes. You can republish an article on your website as long as you have obtained permission from the copyright holder. Even if the article mentions you or your company, you still need permission to republish the full article.

NYTLicensing is a content licensing company that provides access to high-quality news articles, expert storytelling, thought leadership pieces, and original publications for licensing. Our content strategists and editors can craft a content marketing strategy for your program to help you meet your business and content marketing goals. We will then ensure all content is delivered to you, rights-cleared, ready-to-implement, and with republishing guidelines.

•  How to Get Copyright Permission
•  Copyright License Guide
•  Copyright FAQ Guide
•  When Can I Use Copyrighted Material Without Permission?
•  What is Content Licensing?
•  Licensing Rights and Permission to Reprint Articles
•  Can I Legally Copy News Content to My Website?
•  Reuse and Republish The New York Times Content

The first step to republishing a newspaper article is identifying who owns the copyright and what rights you need. For example, do you need one-time permissions or an ongoing copyright license?

After identifying your needs, you will then want to contact the copyright holder to ask for permission to reprint their article. Be sure to clearly identify the article and the republishing terms you are seeking.

Getting a republishing agreement in writing legally guarantees your right to republish the article under the agreed-upon terms.

Copyright is the exclusive legal right to print, publish, perform, film or record literary, artistic, or musical material, and to authorize others to do the same. Copyright law helps to protect the rights of an owner of creative work. It allows them to control how the work can be copied and distributed. It prevents others from also using the work without permission.

Copyright covers original, creative works like publications, photographs, books and films. It does not cover the intellectual property related to a brand (names, logos, fonts and slogans, etc.), inventions or ideas.

No, facts cannot be copyrighted. However, the presentation of these facts can be copyrighted (as is the case with scientific papers and newspaper articles). 

In general, news footage is not automatically in the public domain, as it is often protected by copyright laws. The creators or distributors of news content typically hold the rights to the footage they produce. However, there may be some instances when news footage is considered fair use, allowing for its use without permission. It’s always a best practice to verify the copyright status of news footage before using or distributing it. 
 

You can use copyrighted material and third-party content in the manner set forth by your copyright license. For example: If you have the rights to publish an article on your website, you do not necessarily have the rights to copy and paste this content into an email.

For fair use cases, it’s important to understand if your particular need falls under this category. Typically mass production of material and many commercial uses do not fall under fair use. For more information, check out our guide on fair use in the realm of education.

Even Creative Commons licenses may have provisions associated with them. It’s important to read the restrictions in detail to make sure your team does not infringe on someone’s intellectual property.

 

Yes. All of a U.S. newspaper’s original material is protected by U.S. copyright law. This may include articles, photographs, illustrations and videos.

Yes, depending on how old the articles are. For anything created after 1977, copyright typically lasts for 70 years after an author dies (even if a work has not been published). For pieces that contain more than one author, the copyright expires 70 years after the last author has passed. Copyright also typically expires at the end of the calendar year. For example: The copyright will expire on December 31, 2060 for an author who died on April 21, 1990. Works created between 1964 and 1977,typically have their copyright expire 95 years after publication. For works, prior to 1964, copyright had to be renewed, or it would become part of the public domain.

Yes, newspaper photos and news videos are copyrighted. However, you can obtain a license if you would like to use newspaper photos and videos.

Generally speaking, newspaper articles would fall under works for hire, unless separate terms are negotiated between the journalist and the publication. Employers retain copyright of the article, if it falls under the work-for-hire provision. If looking to reuse or repurpose a specific article, it is best to contact the publication or their licensing agency. Even if they do not own the copyright, they can steer you in the right direction.

In most cases, you will need permission to reprint an article. However, you don’t necessarily need to ask for permission in instances of fair use or if the article is covered by a Creative Commons license. However, deciphering fair use terms and conditions can get complicated. Check out our guide on using when it is appropriate to use copyrighted material without permission. Additionally, we published a resource discussing copyright in education, which touches upon fair use in school. If you are unsure if you can use copyrighted work, talk to your legal team or a lawyer.

Fair use is an exception to standard copyright law, which allows educators and specific groups (such as nonprofits) to use copyrighted works without needing permission. However, there are many misconceptions when it comes to fair use and this doctrine does not entitle an organization to reuse copyrighted material in any way it pleases. For more information on fair use, check out our comprehensive fair use guide here.

Typically, it is illegal to copy newspaper articles due to copyright. Without the proper rights, it is illegal to copy an article to a website or copy its content into an email. 

Newspaper articles can typically only be legally copied if they fall under the public domain (Please see the question above for more information). If your team is unsure if a newspaper article falls under the public domain, you should contact your legal team. Additionally, check out our guide concerning fair use and education here.

If you do not have the rights to post a newspaper article or it does not fall under public domain, it is copyright infringement.

Under copyright law, it is generally ethical to share a link to a news article, as long as the content doesn’t fall behind a form or paywall. However, even if articles can be accessed for free online, your team does not have the right to repost the contents of the article. Citation isn’t enough to cover this use case and your team will need a copyright license to share or repost the article.

To license a newspaper article, you can reach out to the publisher directly to ask for permission. However, if you are looking for permission to reprint multiple articles from the same publisher or articles from multiple publishers, you may want to contact a content licensing company to get a copyright license that will cover reprint rights for all of the material. This will save you from spending time negotiating permissions separately.

To license newspaper articles for your editorial or content marketing strategy, you should reach out to a content licensing company that offers permission on behalf of multiple publishers. Their expert staff will consult with you to understand your licensing needs, determine if permission is available for the news articles you want and help you formalize your republishing rights in a content licensing agreement.

There are a number of ways to source content for a news website, whether that be with freelancers or new writers. However, copyright licensing is a cost-effective way to showcase high-quality journalism to your audience.

In order to get content for the news section of a website, it's best to get a copyright license from reputable publications. By partnering with reputable publications, you can post the news content in full, while improving your company's credibility with its audience and increasing your brand’s thought leadership on the subject matter.

If you want to post a specific article or series on your website, you will need to locate the copyright owner of the material and ask for explicit permission in writing. Oftentimes, you must pay a licensing fee for the opportunity to use the article as website content. 

• News Content 
• Outsourcing Industry News
• Content for Media
• Health & Wellness Content Licensing
• Business News
• Finance News
• Travel Content Licensing
• Science and Technology Content
• Lifestyle Articles

In order to repost an image, you will need to get copyright permission. However, the right to repost an article, with an image, does not grant you the rights to post this image in any manner you choose. Often these rights come with the precursor that the article and image will remain unchanged, so your team cannot extract the image from the given text. To purchase photo licensing rights, your team will often need a separate license.

Yes, news videos are copyright-protected. However, you can obtain a license if you would like to repost or use news videos.

In order to use news footage, you will need to get permission from the copyright holder. You will need to identify the permissions needed and how much of the clip or footage you will need. To learn more about how to get a copyright license, check out our guide.