Step Three: contacting rights holders
This step covers three kinds of content:
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Content you make yourself.
If the content is being made in the course of employment, go no further (when dealing with employer/employment issues with regard to copyright it may be worth checking with your HR(Personnel) Department). If not, issue a contract acquiring copyright in the work.
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Content you commission others to make on your behalf.
Remember that the author is the first owner of copyright and be sure to include a clause in your contracts under which copyright in the work you commission is transferred to your institution. This is not always possible so have a fallback position ready. Your fallback should, at the bare minimum, comply with your minimum standard clearance level.
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Already existing content (third party).
Rights holders are extremely busy and a request for permission to use their content can lie on a desktop for weeks or longer before being dealt with. Make it easy for rights holders to deal with your request and reply to you quickly. Anything that speeds up the process makes it easier for you to manage your clearances effectively:
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Give full details of the content you wish to use, allowing rights holders to identify content easily; give a (very) brief outline of your project; state the rights you need clearly.
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Make it easy for them to reply by, for example, adding a consent statement at the bottom of written requests and enclosing a stamped addressed envelope.
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Use means appropriate to the industry. Get to know whether the rights holder prefers letters, emails or phone calls. Do some homework by checking websites before contact is made.
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