Public Lending Right

A public lending right (PLR) is a program intended to either compensate authors for the potential loss of sales from their works being available in public libraries[1] or as a governmental support of the arts, through support of works available in public libraries, such as books, music and artwork.

Thirty-five countries have a PLR program,[2] and others are considering adopting one. Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, all the Scandinavian countries, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Israel, Australia, Malta and New Zealand currently have PLR programmes. There is ongoing[when?] debate in France about implementing one. There is also a move towards having a Europe-wide PLR programme administered by the European Union.

In the United States the Authors Guild began a campaign in support of the PLR in 2018.[3]

The first PLR programme was initiated in Denmark in 1941.[4] However, it was not properly implemented until 1946 due to World War II.[5] The idea spread slowly from country to country and many nations' PLR programs are quite recent developments.

  1. ^ Chatterjee, Neel (1995). "Imperishable Intellectual Creations: The Limits of the First Sale Doctrine". Fordham Intellectual Property, Media and Entertainment Law Journal. 5: 391.
  2. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions on Public Lending Right (PLR)" (PDF). PLR International. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  3. ^ Schroeder, Sarah Bartlett. 2021. "Librarian Responses to Public Lending Rights in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom and Implications for the United States." Library Quarterly 91 (1): 52–63.
  4. ^ Parker, Jim. "The Public Lending Right and What It Does". World Intellectual Property Organization. WIPO Magazine. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
  5. ^ Stave, Thomas (1981). "Public Lending Right: a History of the Idea" (PDF). Library Trends. 29 (4). Graduate School of Library and Information Science. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: 569–582. ISSN 0024-2594. Retrieved 2009-12-19.