Legal Definitions - copyright clearinghouse

A copyright clearinghouse is an organization that streamlines the process of obtaining permission to use copyrighted materials. It acts as a central hub, representing numerous copyright owners (its members) and granting licenses to individuals or entities (applicants) who wish to use those works for specific purposes. These clearinghouses typically specialize in managing rights for a particular category or class of creative works.

• Academic Journal Content: Imagine a university professor who is compiling a new textbook and wishes to include short excerpts from several different academic research papers, each published by a different scholarly journal. Instead of contacting each publisher individually to negotiate usage rights, the professor could approach a copyright clearinghouse specializing in academic content. This clearinghouse would have agreements with various academic publishers (its members) and could grant a single license covering all the desired excerpts, simplifying the permission process for the professor (the applicant) to use these specific types of copyrighted works in their textbook.
• Stock Video Footage for Commercials: A small marketing agency is producing a television commercial for a client and needs a brief clip of a bustling city street and another of a serene natural landscape. They lack the resources to film these scenes themselves. The agency could utilize a stock video clearinghouse. This organization would host a vast library of video clips submitted by numerous independent videographers and production companies (its members). The agency could browse, select the appropriate clips, and obtain a license through the clearinghouse to use these specific copyrighted video works in their commercial, rather than tracking down each individual creator.
• Architectural Design Plans: A residential developer plans to build a new community featuring several distinct home models. Instead of commissioning entirely new architectural designs for each model, they seek to license existing, proven blueprints. An architectural design clearinghouse could represent various architects and design firms (its members) who have copyrighted their unique home plans. The developer (the applicant) could browse these available designs and license the rights to use specific blueprints for their construction project, gaining access to a portfolio of copyrighted architectural works through a single point of contact.