Digital Licences - Business Magazines

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Digital Licences - Optional

A Digital Licence is an agreement, either paid for or free, to provide the subscriber’s multiple users with access to a digital copy of the publication for a contracted period.

You may report a Digital Licenses as an optional table on the Certificate. Alternatively, you may report a bespoke analysis that is relevant to your publication (subject to the conditions set out in the Optional Reporting section) or use our templated criteria as set out below. This section contains a number of general principles that will guide you as to what may be acceptable for certification.

Principles

1. There must be a contractual arrangement between the publisher (or their agent) and the subscriber to provide the subscriber’s multiple users access to a digital copy of the publication.

2. Licenses and Seats reported separately from print circulation

3. Licences and Seats reported by rate – paid or free

4. Licences and Seats reported by organisation type

Requirements 

1. There must be a contractual arrangement between the publisher (or their agent) and the subscriber to provide the subscriber’s multiple users access to a digital copy of the publication

1. The Digital Edition must be hosted either:

   1. On the subscribing organisation’s intranet; or

   2. Elsewhere and access is controlled via a log-in or password protected process.

2. The contracted period must be defined.

3. The number of multiple users (‘Seats’) must be stated. (I.e. General terms such as ‘Global’ or ‘Companywide’ are not permitted).

4. For free Digital Licences only, the contractual arrangement must include a requirement for the subscriber to notify all individual seats of the availability of each issue.

5. The digital copy accessed via the Digital Licence must meet the requirements to qualify as an Edition of the ABC certified publication.

2. Licenses and Seats reported separately from print circulation  

No additional requirements.

3. Licences and Seats reported by rate – paid or free

1. Licences and Seats will be reported by rate, either paid or free.

2. You can claim copies as paid Digital Licences where payment is outstanding as long as there are reasonable grounds to consider the debt to be live, good and collectable. 

4. Licences and Seats reported by organisation type

1. Digital Licences and Seats will be analysed by organisation type, the categories being at the publisher’s discretion.

2. You may optionally report demographic and geographic breakouts with ABC’s agreement. 

Guidance Available

Reporting

You will report the following, which will be shown on the ABC Certificate:

1. Audit Issue total Digital Licences and Seats analysed into:

1. Paid

2. Free

Guidance

G4. Licences and Seats reported by organisation type

Example Reporting: Audit issue digital licences analysis