Rights/Permissions

The bedrock of publishing is copyright, which supports an orderly ownership of intellectual property. Yet many organizations put a low priority on the management of rights and permissions.  For example, far too many organizations use “legacy” licenses passed on from company to company with many of these licenses inadequate and obsolete. This is false economy. Mistakes in rights and permissions can be expensive, and time consuming, to remedy on an ex post facto basis.

I have written an entire series of introductory materials designed for the non-lawyer reader.  My goal is to familiarize you with rights terms and to suggest how to think about rights. Most importantly, my job is to sensitize you as to when you have potential legal exposure and when you should contact a qualified copyright attorney.

Comments/Questions?
Contact me if you have any questions or comments.
John B. “Jack” McHugh, e-mail

R-1 Twenty Tips for Effective Rights Management, 2009, 2 pages

R-2 Fourteen Tips for Those Seeking Permission to Use Copyrighted Material, 2009, 2 pages

R-3 Twelve Tips for Protecting and Acquiring Electronic Rights, 2009, 5 pages

R-6 Rights and Permissions: McHugh's Recommended Books and Web Sites, 2010, 3 pages

R-11 Subsidiary Rights: An Introduction, Key Definitions, and Management Checklist for Tracking Subsidiary Rights, 2009, 10 pages

R-12 Assessing the Permissions Needs of a Manuscript: Decreasing Your Exposure to Liability, 2009, 8 pages

R-18 Foreign Rights: An Introduction, 2010, 5 pages

R-19 Sixteen Tips When You Grant Permission, 2010 5 pages

R-20 Copyright Basics, 2007, 7 pages

R-21 Your Website and Copyright, 2009, 5 pages

R-22 Electronic Rights: How to Assess Their Value, 2009, 3 pages

R-23 McHugh's Rights Permissions Glossary, 2010, 7 pages

John B. McHugh
Publishing Consultant
PO Box 170665
Milwaukee WI 53217-8056
414.351.3056
E-mail