Copyright & permissions services

TEC has been clearing permissions for over 15 years. We know how frustrating the process can be. Copyright requests are sometimes bumped from publisher to agent to estate in trying to find out who holds rights to a work. Permission to reproduce material in a book or textbook may have to be obtained from one publisher, while electronic rights to the same material may have to be cleared with with another.

Most written and creative material is protected by copyright. This includes:

• essays
• short stories
• newspaper and magazine articles
• poems
• music
• screenplays
• TV scripts
• website materials
• brochures
• graphs and tables
• cartoons
• photos and illustrations

… well, just about anything that someone has created. If it is under copyright protection, you must clear permission to reprint it in your publication.

On your behalf, TEC permission editors will

• contact the copyright holder and request permission to use the materials
• negotiate a fee and handle the contract or licensing agreements
• identify the rights being granted
• keep track of the fees to help you stay on budget
• create the source lines the copyright holder specifies be used

Some publishers and organizations allow you to use a certain amount of material at no charge and without permission. In addition, we can confirm if any of the material you wish to include is considered fair use or is in the public domain.

If you know what you need to clear, send us your list. If you are not sure what might need permission to reprint, we would be happy to read through your manuscript and make that determination for you. Pleae note that permissions can take time. The sooner you begin permission clearances, the better. It's best not to wait till the last minute!