Life science startups are a driving force behind innovation in healthcare today. A 2023 report published by EndPoints News shows that an estimated 70% of US FDA approvals for new treatments and 77% of clinical programs originated from small companies in 2022. But with tight budgets and lean teams, there’s one critical area that’s often overlooked: copyright compliance.
According to recent Outsell data for life sciences organizations, only 32% of knowledge workers in this industry strongly agree that they think about copyright issues before forwarding information. On top of this, 54% of life sciences knowledge workers don’t strongly agree that copyright infringement has serious risks and implications.
Sharing content unlawfully undermines the culture of integrity that is valued by research organizations and can negatively impact business reputation and value. It can even potentially impact a company’s ability to either pass regulatory scrutiny or due diligence during an acquisition. In a fast-paced startup environment, timely access and the ability to share scientific information, particularly journal articles, is critical, but so is working in a compliant manner.
In the video below, we explore four actionable steps your startup can take to reduce copyright risk:
1. Build education around copyright basics
Most scientific journals, articles, and even Open Access content, are protected by copyright law. This means sharing, downloading, or even embedding content without permission can land your company in trouble. For example, Open Access doesn’t always mean free to use as you wish. Some licenses, like Creative Commons, may restrict commercial use. Knowing what you’re allowed to do with content is the first step in compliance.
2. Create a copyright policy tailored to your business
A strong copyright policy creates a foundation for compliance at your company from which you can expand and adapt governance practices to meet the needs of your growing startup. Tap your colleagues for input and try to build a small team; helpful suggestions can come from a variety of sources.
Establish your policy objective and be clear on why your organization is implementing a copyright policy. Maybe the goal is for your company to fulfill its obligations under copyright law. Perhaps it’s to provide employees with a uniform approach to addressing copyright issues, especially in light of increasing adoption of AI technology and the layer of complexity that adds.
This policy should outline acceptable practices for sharing content, how to handle permissions, and even guidance on using AI tools with copyrighted materials—a strong policy helps everyone in your company gain alignment.
3. Support compliant content access across the organization
Many small companies operate without a dedicated librarian or information specialist, which can lead to risky practices like downloading articles from sources that do not have the proper copyright authorization like Sci-Hub or ResearchGate. Researchers using their academic credentials to access scientific content also pose a significant risk, as they are operating in a commercial setting and are therefore likely to violate the terms of the academic library subscription licenses. Instead, consider investing in a literature management solution like RightFind Suite Growth Bundle that supports compliant access to content and the ability to share and collaborate across teams.
4. Partner with the experts
Consider a copyright license if your company doesn’t already have one. A copyright license helps you navigate complex copyright laws. It establishes a foundation for your company’s approach to copyright by complementing your subscriptions or publisher agreements, providing a consistent set of reuse rights across publishers, enabling a harmonized set of rights for the internal use of content with AI systems, and demonstrating your company’s respect for intellectual property. By leveraging the expertise of CCC through voluntary collective licensing your teams can confidently collaborate on content and drive innovation forward.
With the growing shift toward global remote collaboration and digital technologies making it easier to distribute information to wide groups of people, copyright issues are becoming more prominent. It’s more important than ever to be aware, because ignoring it can cost your business more than just money; it can harm your reputation and slow down innovation. By following these four steps, your startup can focus on what really matters: advancing healthcare and changing lives.