Publishing 11 - Copyright Royalties standard publishing rates
The rates shown below apply in all cases regardless of whether the publication is sold at a price or is
free.
Copyright Royalty Rates
Effective from 1 April 2026
Our minimum charge for the issuing of a Publishing Permit is £60.30 + VAT
Categories of Copying
Category A
This category covers from exact copies of LPS/ OSNI branded mapping (in whole or in part), to a redrawn or derived copy, which uses 3 or more components as defined in Publishing 1.
Category B
This category covers maps which use less than 3 components as defined in Publishing 1.
The table below shows the Copyright Royalty rates, in pence per square centimetre, for each map within your publication. These rates do not include VAT.
| Category | Pence per Square Centimetre |
| A | 0.0311 of a penny |
| B | 0.0106 of a penny |
For each print run of the publication containing the map(s), discounts on the above rates will apply as shown below.
| No of LPS/ OSNI based map pages | Discount to be applied |
| 0-500 | 0% |
| 501-1000 | 10% |
| 1001-2000 | 20% (maximum discount if advertising is included) |
| 2001+ | Please refer to Publishing 12 |
To find out the Copyright charge, measure the area of your finished map size for each map in sq centimetres and, using the correct category, multiply the appropriate charge (A or B) shown above by the area in sq cm and by the number of copies. Apply discount, if any, based on the print run.
Example
You wish to publish 2 map illustrations in a book. The first map is 200 sq centimetres and the second is 180 sq cm.
- Map1 is essentially unchanged in design and content from the LPS/ OSNI branded original.
- Map2 is a simplified and amended version containing less than 3 components of our original IP. Your proposed print run of the book is 1500.
For Map1 Category A applies, i.e. 0.0311 pence per sq cm x 200 sq cm x 1500 = 9330 pence, less 20% discount = 7464 pence, divided by 100 to convert to pounds = £74.64
Royalty due will be £74.64 +VAT
For Map2 Category B applies, i.e. 0.0106 pence per sq cm x 180 sq cm x 1500 = 2862 pence, less 20% discount = 2290 pence, divided by 100 to convert to pounds = £22.90
Royalty due will be £60.30 +VAT
- LPS will not charge you for maps derived and redrawn at a scale of 1:1,000,000 or smaller but the copyright acknowledgement must be shown.
- Areas of sea not mapped by LPS will be excluded when calculating the area to be charged for the purpose of Royalties due.
- Where royalty calculation is less than the minimum charge for issuing the permit minimum charge will apply; Where the Royalty calculation exceeds the minimum charge you will only be charged the royalty fee due
- Rates apply to copies printed from 1st April 2026. These rates may be revised from 1st April 2027. Copies printed after this date may attract different Royalty charges.
- For publications, which are supported by advertising, the maximum discount will be 20% off the Standard Publishing Rates.
- VAT is charged at the rate prevailing on the date of the invoice.
Other options available
- See Publishing 12 for Atlases with a print run greater than 2000 copies - with no advertising included.
- See Publishing 13 for flat maps and all other publications with a print run greater than 2000 - with no advertising included
- See Publishing 14 for Royalty rates for Media using crown LPS/ OSNI Intellectual Property (IP)
Need help?
If you have any questions or need anything clarified, you can send us a message to copyright@finance-ni.gov.uk.