Publisher Distribution Guidelines

Our licensing and distribution framework facilitates the remixing and sharing of content for educational and professional purposes.

The proceeds gathered from this copying are passed along to writers, visual artists and publishers so that they can continue to create new and innovative works. This is vitally important to a strong Canadian culture and to all those who read, write, teach and learn.

Distribution Types

Access Copyright uses two distinct types of distribution:

• Title Specific Distributions:
• Approximately 2/3 of the royalties Access Copyright distributes yearly

• Non-Title Specific Distributions:
• Approximately 1/3 of the royalties Access Copyright distributes yearly

Royalties collected in one fiscal year are generally distributed the following year according to our Board approved distribution guidelines and schedule.

Amount available for distribution

Access Copyright makes the following three allocations from the copyright licensing royalties that we collect.

• An administrative holdback of 30% to cover Access Copyright's administrative and operational costs.
• An allocation of 1.5% of copyright licensing royalties towards the Access Copyright Foundation (currently suspended).

Additionally, Access Copyright directs 15% of all revenue available for distribution to be distributed equally between creators and publishers via their respective repertoire payment. This is done in recognition of the value that all writers, visual artists and publishers bring to our licences by making their works available for copying under Access Copyright's licences.              

Minimum payment limit $25

In order to keep administrative costs as low as possible, Access Copyright will hold royalties owed until they reach the $25 minimum set by Access Copyright's board of directors. However, no amount will be carried forward for more than five years.