general info

Find out more about reprographic rights

Contact DALRO if you need to make photocopies in multiples. We'll help you identify which method of licensing will best suit your needs and how exactly to go about getting your licence.

Where can I get a licence to photocopy a whole book?

DALRO may not allow the reproduction of whole books, either by a transactional licence or under a blanket licence. It's unlawful to reproduce a whole book instead of buying it.

Licensing allows numbers of students and professional employees, who would in any case not have bought the published work, to lawfully gain access to a photocopied extract from it.

This applies even if the book is out of print

If the book is out of print and unavailable, DALRO will approach the publisher to clear the permission transactionally.

DALRO doesn't own the copyright in the works

DALRO doesn't own copyright at all. It is mandated by the rightsholders (authors and publishers) to administer their reprographic reproduction rights. DALRO receives these mandates in three ways:

• By direct assignment from the author or publisher
• Through an association such as the Publishers Association of South Africa (PASA), which has already collected in the mandates of its individual members and passes them on to DALRO through a contractual arrangement
• Through bilateral agreements with RROs in other parts of the world

DALRO has an extensive repertoire of works

DALRO is able to license the reprographic reproduction of the great majority of works published in South Africa, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States and Zimbabwe.

DALRO distributes the licensing fees to the rightsholders

After deducting an administration fee, DALRO distributes royalties to the authors and publishers whose works have been copied.

DALRO will prosecute copyright infringers

DALRO believes copyright correctness should be encouraged through persuasion rather than litigation. We aim to nurture a copyright-compliant society that respects intellectual property. However, if we can't persuade a user to obtain a licence for the reproduction of a copyright work , DALRO would have to protect and defend the rights of its constituents.

With easy and cheap access to published works through licensing, there is no excuse for copyright infringement. Theft of intellectual property is not only against the law, but also morally unacceptable.