Copyright works - seeking the lost
Consultation on implementing a domestic orphan works licensing scheme and the EU Directive on certain permitted uses of orphan works
Orphan works are copyright works (such as books, photographs, films and music) for which 1 or more of the copyright owners can’t be found. If you want to copy a work to use it in a book, an exhibition, on a website or in a documentary, you need to obtain permission from the rights holders (creators, publishers, broadcasters etc). At present, an orphaned work cannot be reproduced lawfully. The government’s orphan works scheme aims to address the issue of reproducing works when rights holders can’t be found.
Alongside the UK scheme, the government is implementing the complementary EU orphan works directive, which will allow publicly accessible archives to digitise certain works and display them on their websites for access across the EU. It is for all interested parties across all sectors, including: rights holders; rights holders’ representatives; and anyone wishing to reproduce copyright works where the copyright owner can’t be found.
UK Intellectual Property Office, “Copyright works - seeking the lost,” Copyright Cortex, accessed October 18, 2026, https://copyright-cortex.org/policy-evidence/copyright-works-seeking-the-lost.