Rights Clearance

Expert support to help you clear, license and reuse content confidently and legally.

Image Credit: Marcus Spiske via Unsplash

Simplifying Rights Clearance

We support cultural institutions, broadcasters, and public bodies in some of the UK’s most ambitious reuse and digitisation projects. We support you from planning to publication, helping to streamline your clearance process and reduce legal uncertainty, especially when orphan works or high volumes of rights are involved.

Text and publications

Archival material and manuscripts

Photographs, illustrations and artworks

Moving images

Audio recordings and music

Performance and personality rights

Clear the Way for Confident Content Use

Whether you’re producing exhibitions, publishing materials, launching digital collections, or reusing archive content, clearing rights is often one of the most complex – and high-risk – parts of the process.

We offer expert-led rights clearance services to help you identify rights holders, secure permissions, and manage risk when using third-party content.

Our rights clearance services include:

Guidance documentation for risk management and rights clearance strategy
Rights clearance procedures
Rights identification and research
Tracing and negotiating licences
Tracing rights holders and reasonable searches
Orphan works analysis and advice
Checking privileged sources of information
Risk assessments where clearances have not been sought
Drafting template letters and forms

Courtesy of the Artist, Evelyn Korn

David Waterman (c) Estate of David Waterman

Why It Matters

Getting rights clearance wrong can delay or derail your entire project.

Without clear permissions:

Working with Naomi Korn Associates helps you unlock the potential of your content while maintaining legal integrity and managing risk appropriately.

Start Your Rights Clearance Project

Need help clearing rights? Whether you’re tracing a few licences or managing hundreds of assets, we’re here to help.

Case Study: Showtown - Blackpool

Naomi Korn Associates managed rights clearance for Showtown’s permanent displays, auditing copyright across media, drafting licences, contacting rights holders, and advising on risk. This supported thousands of successful clearances for gallery use.

Why work with Naomi Korn Associates?

With over 20 years of experience in copyright, data protection, and intellectual property, Naomi Korn Associates brings sector-leading expertise, practical insights, and a friendly, hands-on approach. We’re trusted by some of the UK’s leading cultural, educational, and public sector bodies to help embed lasting compliance.

“It was a pleasure working with Naomi Korn Associates throughout the delivery of Showtown’s displays. Early on, Naomi Korn conducted training for Showtown’s team. Then as the project developed and the number of permissions required was understood, Showtown contracted them and had the expertise of Sean and Michelle. They supported on clearing performer’s rights, managing communication with estates and music publishers. Thousands of images were cleared for use in the museum’s displays with Naomi Korn Associates’ support and we are very grateful for their professionalism and expertise.”

Jill Carruthers, Exhibitions Manager, Showtown

Related Services

Copyright

We provide comprehensive copyright support. From project support, to short term and long term help, we will work collaboratively with you to help you achieve your objectives.

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Data Protection

We offer a range of services to help organisations with their data protection responsibilities so that data is managed legally, safely and strategically.

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In-house Training

Our in-house training is tailored to the context of your organisation’s needs, legal compliance obligations, and technological developments.

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