Copyrighted material is an intellectual property of another individual and therefore is a proprietary commodity of that individual. Using such copyrighted material without proper written permission obtained from the person or organisation amounts to a criminal offence. Many nations have copyright laws that protect proprietary material. Therefore, use of copyrighted material such as books, journals, magazines, articles, online posts, etc. for purposes of re-publishing requires permission from the copyright holder. This request for approval is ethical and also protects the user of information from copyright infringement.
A letter requesting the use of copyrighted material must be directed towards the individual or organisation that possess the copyright for that material. The letter should be written with all the necessary information such as the purpose of the use of the material, the background of the writer, etc. The letter is a formal request which can also amount to a legal document. Therefore, the letter should always be formal and courteous. All necessary information should be disclosed so as to prevent future problems with copyright infringement.
Table of Contents
Tips for Writing a Letter to Request the Use of Copyright Material
- The letter should be formal and accurate.
- The purpose of the use of copyrighted material should be explicitly mentioned.
- The owner of the copyright or an organisation or publisher who holds the copyright must be contacted in writing.
- The letter should be duly signed and treated as a legal document.
- The tone of the letter should be courteou
Request to Use Copyrighted Material Template, Sample & Email
Use our free Request to Use Copyrighted Material Letter to help you get started. If you need additional help or more examples check out some of the sample letters below.
From,
__________
__________
__________
__________
Date: _____ (Date on Which Letter is Written)
To,
__________
__________
__________
__________
Subject: Requesting permission to use copyrighted material.
Dear _____(Sir or Madam),
I write this letter to bring to your knowledge that I am a student at the __________ (name of college/university), currently pursuing my Doctor of Philosophy degree in ______ (the subject of study). As a requirement for the conferral of the degree, I am required to submit a doctoral thesis on the subject. References to various previous journals and books in the particular field of study form a part of the bibliography of the thesis.
Since _________ (name of the author) is renowned in the field of _______ (subject), I request you to kindly grant me permission to quote extensive parts of his/her book ________ (name of book) in the thesis. The author’s name and publication details will be duly mentioned in the footnotes and the bibliography.
I assure you that the information will not be used otherwise except for the sole purpose mentioned. I kindly request you to grant the permission and reply in writing regarding the same.
Thank you,
Regards,
______
(name and designation).
Sample Letter
From,
Abigail Adams,
Front Lake,
Utopia.
Date: 12 February 1779
To,
McGailPublishing House,
Restview Park,
Ethiopia.
Dear Sir,
Subject: Requesting Permission to Use Copyrighted Material.
I write this letter to bring to your knowledge that I am a student at the J.H.B. College East, currently pursuing my Doctor of Philosophy degree in biothermal energy studies. As a requirement for the conferral of the degree, I am required to submit a doctoral thesis on the subject. References to various previous journals and books in the particular field of study form a part of the bibliography of the thesis.
Since Dr. Eastwind Cooper is renowned in the area of biothermal energy studies, I request you to kindly grant me permission to quote extensive parts of his book ‘Quantitative Analysis of Biothermal Energy on Mars as Defined By NASA’ in the thesis. The author’s name and publication details will be duly mentioned in the footnotes and the bibliography.
I assure you that the information will not be used otherwise except for the sole purpose mentioned. I kindly request you to grant the permission and reply in writing regarding the same.
Thank you,
Regards,
Abigail Adams.
E-mail Format
The following is the Email Format to be followed for a Request of Use of Copyright Material letter.
To: name@email.com
From: name@email.com
SUBJECT: Requesting use of copyright material.
Dear Mr./Ms/Mrs.______(Name of the recipient)
I write this letter to bring to your knowledge that I am a student at the __________ (name of college/university), currently pursuing my Doctor of Philosophy degree in ______ ( the subject of study). As a requirement for the conferral of the degree, I am required to submit a doctoral thesis on the subject. References to various previous journals and books in the particular field of study form a part of the bibliography of the thesis.
Since _________ (name of the author) is renowned in the field of _______ (subject), I request you to kindly grant me permission to quote extensive parts of his book ________ (name of book) in the thesis. The author’s name and publication details will be duly mentioned in the footnotes and the bibliography.
I assure you that the information will not be used otherwise except for the sole purpose mentioned. I kindly request you to grant the permission and reply in writing regarding the same.
Thank you,
Regards,
______
(name and designation).