About PLS

How we work

Our ownership and governance

PLS is a not-for-profit organisation run by the publishing industry and for the publishing industry. We are owned and directed by four leading UK publishing organisations:

You can read more about these four organisations below.

The supervision of these four bodies ensures we meet the needs and interests of the publishers we serve. Each nominates up to three people to form our Board of non-executive directors, who meet regularly to monitor our performance and set our future direction.

PLS works with the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) and Picture Industry Collecting Society for Effective Licensing (PICSEL), who ensure that writers and visual artists are also rewarded when extracts of their content is copied. Together we own and direct the Copyright Licensing Agency. PLS also works in partnership with NLA media access. These two organisations provide UK customers with the licences they need to copy content without infringing copyright.

Meet the PLS team and the PLS Board.

About our four directing associations

Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP)

ALPSP is the trade association supporting not-for-profit organisations that publish scholarly and professional content, and the people who work for them. It has around 300 members in 30 countries, and provides a forum for the sharing of information and knowledge.
www.alpsp.org

Independent Publishers Guild (IPG)

The IPG was founded in 1962 and now has more than 600 members of all shapes and sectors, working across the wide spectrum of UK publishing. It provides various practical resources and services to help independent publishers do better business, including events, training, mentoring, awards and advice.
www.independentpublishersguild.com

Professional Publishers Association (PPA)

The PPA has supported magazines and multi-platform media businesses for more than 100 years. It represents 250 companies from many sectors, providing them with tools, groups and connections to improve their businesses, and promoting their success and value to the creative economy.
www.ppa.co.uk

Publishers Association (PA)

The PA has supported and represented the UK’s book, journal and digital publishers since 1896. It provides more than 140 members with resources, champions the publishing sector and ensures its voice is heard. The PA has councils, communities and task forces to lead its work, and has been instrumental in the creation of initiatives including World Book Day and the Booker Prize.
www.publishers.org.uk