Official Publishing Agreement
All government departments and agencies have delegated authority from the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office and Queen’s Printer to license and authorise the publication of official versions of copyright works on the department’s behalf. Official publications are works which are endorsed by a department. It is important that departments, when appointing a publisher to publish on its behalf, should ensure that an official publishing agreement is in place. An Official Publishing agreement is necessary for the following reasons:
- it provides clarity and legal certainty
- it sets out the obligations for the publisher and the department
- it helps prevent things going wrong but explains what happens if they do.
To assist departments in drafting Official Publishing agreements, we have produced a series of template contract terms which can be adapted to meet specific circumstances. If departments are in doubt they should contact HMSO or consult their legal advisers.