Rights Summit Report (2014)

On June 11, 2014, BISG convened a “Rights Summit,” with the stated purpose of “bringing together stakeholders in the publishing rights community to discuss the points of friction affecting the industry in the management of rights and rights data, in order to help BISG set priorities for our Rights Committee going forward.”

BISG invited stakeholders known to be active in the purchase, sale, and management of rights. It also issued an open invitation to the entire BISG membership to attend. To moderate the discussion, BISG engaged Michael Healy (Executive Director, International Relations, Copyright Clearance Center) and Heather Reid (Chairperson, Board of Directors at National Information Standards Organization and Senior Director, Data Services & Standards, Copyright Clearance Center), both widely acknowledged experts in the fields of rights and copyright.

In advance of the meeting, BISG surveyed confirmed attendees and the industry at large as to the current state of rights transactions and rights systems. The surveys sought to identify areas of friction that existed in the purchase, sale, and management of publication rights throughout various sectors of the industry. Results from these initial surveys were varied, but respondents provided consistent feedback that the current systems in place for the management and sale of rights caused friction for both companies and the industry. These results validated the need for a meeting to discuss how BISG might best address these issues.