Copyright Licence for Life Science Industries

In life science organisations, scientific and medical literature is routinely shared across research, medical, regulatory, market access and commercial teams.

Employees commonly:

  • circulate journal articles internally
  • share clinical papers with colleagues, regulators and advisers
  • support regulatory submission and compliance workflows using published content
  • store published material in internal repositories
  • include extracts, graphs and tables in presentations and briefings
  • distribute articles in response to healthcare professional requests
  • use journal articles and other published content in Generative AI (GenAI) tools

These everyday activities often require permissions beyond simply having access to the content.

Without the right licence in place, organisations may inadvertently expose themselves to copyright, compliance and governance risk.

Research conducted by independent market research agency FiftyFive5* found:

  • 2 out of 3 white-collar workers access published content in their role, often downloading, copying and sharing it
  • 64% of white-collar workeres use GenAI tools at work
  • 59% copy and paste published content into AI prompts
  • 83% cite compliance and risk as key concerns
  • Millions of potential copyright infringements happen each year in Australian businesses

Most published content is protected by copyright. If employees copy, share or store this content, permission from the copyright owner is usually required.

This includes content from:

  • Journals
  • Research databases and clinical studies
  • Newspapers and magazines
  • Industry and trade publications
  • Books, websites and online resources

A licence designed for life science workflows

Our Life Sciences Licence provides rights for internal use of published content, including sharing copies with regulatory bodies, advisers and healthcare professionals in response to information requests.

The licence supports the way life science organisations really work, helping employees share, store and use trusted content while supporting copyright compliance across the organisation.

As we pay royalties to creators and publishers whose works are reused, your organisation also supports the continued creation of high-quality scientific and medical content.

Copy and share global scientific content

The licence provides rights to copy and share published content from Australian and international sources, including:

  • Scientific and medical journals
  • Clinical papers and studies
  • Research reports, tables, graphs and data extracts
  • Industry and trade publications
  • Newspapers, magazines and online content

Supporting responsible AI use

Generative AI is increasingly being used across scientific, regulatory and knowledge workflows. Employees routinely upload documents, paste excerpts from published content into prompts and use AI-generated outputs in their work.

The Life Sciences Licence includes rights to use articles from participating journal, book, newspaper and trade publishers in Generative AI tools and workflows.

The licence helps organisations manage copyright risk while supporting the responsible use of third-party content in AI-enabled workflows.

Key benefits to your business

  • WORKFLOW EFFICIENCY

    Supports seamless use of published information in everyday scientific, medical and regulatory workflows

  • SIMPLIFIED PERMISSIONS

    One licence covering reuse of millions of published works

  • PEACE OF MIND

    Helps reduce copyright, compliance and governance risk

  • INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

    Supports compliant storage and distribution of published content

  • GLOBAL CONTENT COVERAGE

    Covers reuse of Australian and international publications

Why life science organisations use the licence

Your licence:

  • Covers your organisation for internal use of published content
  • Supports regulatory and medical information workflows, including sharing content with regulators and advisers, and responding to healthcare professional information requests
  • Reduces the need to negotiate permissions with individual copyright owners
  • Helps strengthen copyright compliance and reduce governance risk associated with content sharing and emerging AI workflows
  • Includes Australian content that may not be covered by international parent company licences

 

 

 

*FiftyFive5 research on third-party content and GenAI use
** This fact sheet is a guide only. Limitations apply to website and social media use of outputs. Refer to the licence agreement for full
terms and conditions. For independent information on copyright, visit the Australian Copyright Council website.

The Federal Government also provides some guidance for businesses who use copyright materials:
Attorney General’s Department
Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS)

“We believe good science is vital to support the validity and efficacy of natural medicines. Doing good research requires that we have access to scientific information and that we can share this freely within the business. Being compliant with copyright legislation simply makes sense.”

– Integria Healthcare

Getting your licence is easy

Copyright Agency offers a bespoke licensing solution for life science industries. Contact our team on 1800 066 844 or by email to learn more about our licensing solution and obtain a customised quote.

Copyright Governance Guide

Download our guide to learn more about copyright governance in the life science industries.

Download Governance Guide

Life Science Industries Copyright Licence Guide

Share this information with colleagues by downloading our Copyright Licence Guide for Life Science Industries.

Download Licence Guide