Lynette Owen is responsible for the Spotlight on Rights programme during ADIBF. It’s a subsidy programme where publishers can get a subsidy of up to US $4000 for translating and publishing a book. The programme also helps in writing a rights contract. In this talk Lynette will introduce SOR and some key points on the buying and selling of rights. Kindly note that all rules referred to in the session was valid in 2015 but may change in the future. Lynette Owen is a copyright and rights consultant, based in the United Kingdom. She has worked in the area of rights for Cambridge University Press, Pitman Publishing, Marshall Cavendish and Pearson Education, where she held the post of Copyright Director. She lectures regularly about rights on publishing degree courses in the UK, and also runs training courses, most recently in Brazil, India, Malaysia and the Middle East.

1. Introducing Spotlight on Rights
plus key points on licensing to
and from the Arab world
Lynette Owen, Rights Consultant
Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, May 2015

2. The Spotlight on Rights scheme (1)
• Founded by Kitab in 2009 to offer subsidies for rights deals into and
out of Arabic and to encourage legitimate rights trading in the region
• If a grant is awarded to the rights buyer, it must be used towards the
cost of acquiring the rights from the rightsholder(copyright fee or
advance against royalties); it cannot be used towards the cost of
translation or production costs
• More than 800 subsidies have been granted to date, for a wide range
of books
• Decisions on subsidy awards are taken by a judging panel

3. The Spotlight on Rights scheme (2)
• For adult titles, the subsidy can range from US$2500 to US$4000 per
title
• For titles for children and young adults, the maximum subsidy is
$2500 per title; small children’s titles in a series with minimal text will
be batched as a single application
• Applicants for rights may submit a total of ten applications for
subsidies; a maximum of five can be awarded per applicant.
Decisions lie with the judging panel

4. How does the scheme work? (1)
• Applicants must be standholders of registered visitors at the ADIBF
• Representatives of the rightsholder and the licence applicant should
visit the Business and Rights Centre together to complete and sign a
one-page Memorandum of Understanding for each application in the
presence of the SoR representative
• The licence applicant must also submit a completed two-page subsidy
application form to Kitab along with 2 copies of the book to be
translated and a short description of the book in Arabic. This can be
completed and handed in at the Business and Rights Center at ADIBF
along with the MoU, or submitted to Kitab within 2 months of the
end of ADIBF

5. How does the scheme work? (2)
• The judging panel will confirm all approved subsidy applications
within 2 months of the end of ADIBF
• The final licence contract between the rightsholder and the licence
applicant must be signed and a copy sent to Kitab within 3 months of
approval of the subsidy or no later than 5 months after the end of
ADIBF – without this no subsidy can be awarded
• The licensee must include the logo of ADIBF and an
acknowledgement to the Spotlight on Rights scheme in all copies of
the licensed edition

6. How does the scheme work? (3)
• If all the terms of the scheme have been fulfilled, the agreed subsidy
will be paid in full to the licensee once they have supplied Kitab with
five finished copies of each licensed edition
• The licensee is responsible for making all contractual payments direct
to the rightsholder, with currency and timing according to the terms
of the contract (copyright fee/ advance/ royalties)

7. Some key points on licensing in the region (1)
• This is not a single integrated market – translation licences should
only be granted for markets which can realistically be serviced by the
licensee
• Print runs can therefore be surprisingly small for Arabic editions –
perhaps 1000 – 3000 copies. Consider lump sum payments for small
print runs, but with contract restricted to designated print quantity
• Book prices can be much lower than those in many western markets

8. Some key points on licensing in the region (2)
• Some content in foreign books may be sensitive or unacceptable in
some markets in the region. Discuss any proposed cuts or changes
before finalising the deal
• Clarify if any third party copyright material included in your book (e.g.
quoted text, photos, illustrations) is included in the licence or
whether permission has to be recleared – if so, who is responsible?
• Discuss terms for provision of any duplicate production material
required

9. Some key points on licensing in the region (3)
• When acquiring rights from an Arab publisher, provide clear
information on expected first print run, the price on which royalties
would be calculated (retail or wholesale price less any VAT?), formats
for publication (print only or print and e-book?) and whether any
subsidiary rights are required in your language (e.g. sublicensing
within the agreed territory, extract rights etc)
• Establish if any third party copyright material in the book is included
in the licence – if not, who has to reclear?
• Can the Arab publisher supply a sample translation in your language,
or a complete draft translation?
• Discuss terms for supply of any duplicate production material

10. Questions?
• Contact: lynetteowen@hotmail.co.uk