The existing conditions can be summarised as follows:

  • Publishing companies (of printed and/or electronic press) produce and own the content;
  • Press clipping companies digitise and process this content;
  • Clients of press clipping companies receive and reproduce the content of printed and electronic press.

For this process to be lawful, rightholders must grant a licence, because digitisation, processing, distribution and reproduction are all acts that require a licence from the rightholders. Internationally, this gap is filled by collective bodies representing the majority of publishers. On the one hand, they grant permission to press clipping companies for use of the articles and, on the other hand, they license the clients of press clipping companies to further use these articles within the context of their businesses. In Greece, these licensing services are provided by OSDEL.