Reproduction Rights Organisation

The development of reprographic technology in the 1970s led to the wide-scale photocopying of printed works. This, in turn, led to the development of Reprographic Rights Organisations around the world that could represent the interests of publishers and authors in providing centralised, collective licensing services that permitted the legal copying of extracts from published works. Each year, RROs license hundreds of thousands of users to copy from millions of works published throughout the world.

RROs obtain their authority from national legislation and/or agreements with publishers and authors. They obtain the rights to license use of national repertoires of works through reciprocal agreements with RROs in other countries. Licensing revenue is distributed to copyright owners around the world through their national RRO.

Each RRO receives and distributes licensing revenue on behalf of foreign copyright owners in the same way that it does for domestic owners. This principle of national treatment was laid down in the Berne Convention which was established to harmonise international copyright law.

CLL has bilateral agreements with the following RROs that provide for an exchange of repertoire and the distribution of licensing revenue between territories:
Access (Canada), CADRA (Argentina), CAL (Australia), CCC (USA), CFC (France), CLA (UK), DALRO (South Africa), HKRRLS, ICLA (Ireland), IRRO (India), NLA (UK), SR (The Netherlands), COPIBEC (Québec, Canada), Pro Litteris (Switzerland), CEDRO (Spain)
It also has agreements with the following RROs that provide for repertoire exchange only:
CLASS (Singapore), CEDRO (Spain), CEMPRO (Mexico) Fjölís (Iceland), Kopinor (Norway), Kopjamalt (Malta), VG Wort (Germany), COPY-DAN (Denmark), OSDEL (Greece), LITA (Slovakia), REPRONIG (Nigeria), BCOPY (Barbados)