Partners

Publishers' Licensing Services

Publishers' Licensing Services (PLS) has provided rights and licensing services to the publishing industry since 1981.

A non-profit collective management organisation, owned and directed by ALPSP and three other UK publishing trade associations, PLS’ primary role is to maximise the value of published content, enable its legitimate re-use, and protect copyright through effective collective licensing, permissions and rights management services.

In 2023-2024 PLS collected and distributed more than £43 million to over 4,500 publishers.

Collective Licensing

PLS’ core purpose is to oversee collective licensing for the reuse of extracts of book, journal, magazine and website content across the public and private sectors.

Find out how collective licensing could benefit you.

PLSclear

Beyond collective licensing, PLS provides a range of rights management services including PLSclear, their award-winning tool to request and grant permission to use extracts of content, and promote the value of copyright and UK publishers’ world-class contributions.

Rights & Licensing Hub

PLS provides extensive resources to help publishers improve the ways they manage the rights that they hold. A free online training course, professional guidance, case studies, career tips and much more are available at the Rights & Licensing Hub.

Access to Research

The Access to Research service provides free and easy access to millions of academic articles via the UK’s public library network.

Learn more and register

Explore the PLS website to discover more about these services.