Q/mojo Freelance- licensing agreement

[TO BE PRINTED ON EMAP HEADED PAPER]


18th December 2003

To:[INSERT AUTHOR'S NAME]
[INSERT AUTHOR'S ADDRESS]


From: XXXX


Dear [INSERT AUTHOR'S NAME]

Reprints and Syndication

Over the years we have been approached by magazine editors who would like to use or reprint articles that have been printed in our titles. These syndication requests are handled by Planet Syndication (whom we have worked with for over four years). Planet Syndication collects and remits the author's share of the income earned from reprints and syndication. The arrangement with Planet Syndication now involves a number of regular deals with magazines around the world and nearly all long standing freelance writers and staff that write for us have had their material syndicated via this existing arrangement. Due to the success of this existing arrangement, we would like to clarify its details, especially as we would now like to include Kerrang contributors, who may not know about the opportunity.

Following our discussions, I propose that we manage the syndication of articles as follows:

Syndication

As many of you know, we already have a syndication system that has been running for some years which remunerates writers for the syndication of features or articles ("contributions") they have written for any of our titles by paying them 30% of the revenue received by Planet Syndication in respect of the syndication (overall the revenue splits are 40% to Planet Syndication, 30% to the writer and 30% to us). This arrangement will continue to apply for the syndication of individual contributions, increasing for the freelancer when the total revenue generated in the financial year exceeds the following levels:

In excess of 80k total revenue generated across Q and Mojo, the rate to freelancers would increase to 35%. In excess of 120k revenue generated the freelance rate would increase to 40%. If the revenue level reached these points, these increased amounts would be paid retrospectively once period 12 accounts are closed at the end of the financial year.

Re-use of copy in Special Editions

On each occasion that a writer's contribution is reprinted in a special edition of any of our titles ("special edition") we will pay the writer a fee equal to 50% of the current word rate.




Special Editions

We have received enquiries from overseas publishers who want to reprint some special editions from Q, Mojo and Kerrang! We are currently considering various formats for the reprints and it is possible that either we or foreign/domestic publishers will reprint the special editions around the world in various languages and formats (such as in updated, magazine, or book format and other formats that we may choose). As an example, we are currently investigating combining the three separate special editions “Q 50 Years of Rock’n’Roll” and reprinting them as one overall volume.

If entire special editions are reprinted we will pay a writer (whose contributions are included in the reprinted special edition) a one-off fee equal to 25% of the current word rate if it is reprinted in up to three territories and 40% of the current word rate if it is printed in four or more.

Otherwise this letter will apply to your existing contributions, and to any new contributions that you write. We merely wish to clarify the existing arrangement and the contents of this letter will not affect your copyright ownership of your contributions or prevent you from syndicating them yourself (we are seeking a licence to allow us to use or distribute your contributions on your behalf, not copyright). If you would like to know more about reprints and syndication, please contact Planet Syndication on 020 8694 7110, and they will be happy to give you more information.

To enable us to reprint and syndicate contributions and special editions on the basis set out in this letter, we would be grateful if you could sign and return both enclosed copies of this letter to us to confirm that you have agreed to its contents.

Yours sincerely


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Signed by [INSERT FULL NAME OF AUTHOR]