Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance

What Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance does

Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance (JAC, 一般社団法人日本学術著作権協会) is a Japanese general incorporated association established in 1989 that operates as a copyright collective management organization (CMO/RRO) for the academic publishing sector. It administers reproduction rights on behalf of five member academic societies — JFES, JADS, AJASS, PSJ, and JAMS — covering more than 4,700 academic journal titles. JAC holds registered copyright management operator status from Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs (Registration Number 02004) and has been a full member of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO) since 2008.

Its core service platform consists of two principal components: JAC-DCL (Database of Copyright License), a proprietary rights and license metadata catalog, and JAC-SORA, a workflow system launched in April 2026 that integrates rights categories including the AI/ML Rights line introduced in 2024. The platform supports licensing matching, tariff application, and royalty routing to rights-holders both domestically and internationally through 37 bilateral reciprocal agreements with counterpart RROs. JAC also operates a reprint licensing service introduced in 2019 and runs educational seminars on copyright, including generative AI and copyright topics, with public channels including CEATEC participation and content on YouTube and Note.com.

JAC's business model is fee-based: corporate and institutional users pay licensing fees for reproduction rights, royalties are distributed to rights-holding academic societies and international RRO partners under reciprocal agreements, and JAC retains an administrative fee on the flow-through. With 300+ corporate user contracts and FY2015 royalty collection exceeding €11 million (placing JAC in the top quartile of IFRRO's roughly 60 members, with over €3 million attributable to foreign works used in Japan), the organization is the dominant domestic CMO for academic content. Current leadership is Dr. Hiroshi Matsumoto (President since June 2022), with Yosuke Seyama as Chairman since 2017.

Name

Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance

Legal name

Japan Academic Association For Copyright Clearance

Website

https://jaacc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance (JAC) is a Japanese copyright collective management organization that licenses reproduction rights for over 4,700 academic journal titles on behalf of five member academic societies to 300+ corporate users in Japan and internationally via 37 bilateral RRO agreements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Copyright Licensing Services

NAICS

Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets (except Copyrighted Works) (533110)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAIABAI

Lyrics & Text Rights Licensing (Lyric Display, Print/Digital Reproduction)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Music & Audio (Recording, Publishing, Streaming)/Music Publishing (Songwriting, Rights Administration, Licensing)

SECONDARYMPADALAI

Rights Clearance & Chain-of-Title Services

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Film/TV Licensing & Rights Management

Keywords

• Copyright licensing services
• Reproduction rights management
• Academic copyright clearance
• Collective rights organization
• Digital copyright licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Akasaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Reproduction License Fees: JAC collects license fees from users (corporations, academic institutions) who wish to reproduce copyrighted academic works. Fees are collected per page, per article, or through blanket licenses based on actual usage or surveys. Revenue is distributed to rights holders after deduction of administrative fees.
2. Reprint Permission Fees: Fees collected for reprint permissions of academic works managed by JAC, collected since April 2019
3. Public Transmission Compensation Distribution: JAC serves as a distribution contractor for the Society for the Administration of Remuneration for Public Transmission for Academic Works (SARTRAS), handling distribution of compensation fees under Article 35 of the Copyright Act for educational institutions

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

JAC is a registered copyright management business operator that provides centralized licensing services for the reproduction and reprinting of academic works. It operates web-based licensing systems (JAC-SORA for reproduction licenses and the JAC Reprint Permission System) through which corporate users and academic institutions apply for copyright licenses for works managed by JAC. The organization manages 4,700+ academic titles and enables cross-border licensing through 37 bilateral agreements with international reproduction rights organizations.

Product overview

JAC provides a suite of copyright licensing platforms and services for academic works. Its core product ecosystem consists of (1) JAC-SORA, the new reproduction license application system launched April 2026 replacing the legacy JAC複製利用許諾システム; (2) JAC転載許諾システム, a separate reprint license platform launched April 2019 for domestic academic works; (3) JAC-DCL, the digital copyright license contract expanded in 2024 to cover AI/ML rights; and (4) JAC管理著作物リスト, regularly updated downloadable title lists of all managed works. All platforms are accessible via the web. JAC also provides bilateral licensing through agreements with 37 international RROs, enabling cross-border reproduction licensing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JAC-SORA: New reproduction license application system launched in 2026, replacing the legacy JAC reproduction license system.
• JAC転載許諾システム (JAC Reprint Permission System)
• JAC複製利用許諾システム (JAC Reproduction License System)

Products and services

• JAC-SORA (Reproduction License System) JAC's new web-based system allowing users to search managed copyrighted academic works and apply for reproduction licenses online. Used by corporate users and academic institutions to legally reproduce copyrighted academic content.
• JAC Reprint Permission System (JAC転載許諾システム) Web-based system for applying for reprint/reproduction licenses of domestic copyrighted academic works managed by JAC. Login required.
• JAC-DCL (JAC Digital Copyright License Contract) Digital copyright licensing service offered by JAC. Expanded in 2024 to include AI/ML Rights for AI and machine learning use of copyrighted works.
• License Services (利用許諾サービス) JAC offers three types of licenses for foreign copyrighted works: Pay-Per-Use License (per-page payment), Reporting-Based Blanket License (annual, based on usage reports), and Survey-Based Blanket License (annual, based on periodic surveys). These enable users to legally reproduce copyrighted academic works including specific industry tiers like Pharma-AAS and MR-AAS for pharmaceutical companies.
• JAC Managed Works Title List (JAC管理著作物リスト) Regularly updated downloadable lists of copyrighted works managed by JAC, including domestic and foreign works. Available in simplified and detailed formats via the JAC-SORA system. Updated quarterly (January, April, July, October). Covers 4,700+ academic titles.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,700+ academic titles managed across multiple disciplines
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and secondary.

• Kazakhstan Authors' Society (KazAK)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Bilateral agreement for mutual copyright licensing, enabling Japanese works to be licensed in Kazakhstan and vice versa through IFRRO network
• Malaysia Reprographic Rights Centre (MARC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Bilateral agreement for mutual copyright licensing, enabling cross-border academic content licensing between Malaysia and Japan
• Kopinor (Norway)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Bilateral agreement for mutual copyright licensing enabling Norwegian and Japanese academic works to be licensed in respective countries
• TurnitinminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2017Partnership memorandum signed for plagiarism detection and prevention services
• International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJAC became Associate RRO member in 2002 and official RRO Member in 2008. IFRRO is the international body representing RROs, authors, and publishers in text and image-based works
• Copyright Clearance Center (CCC - USA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBilateral agreement Type A for licensing of US works in Japan and Japanese works in the US through IFRRO
• Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA - UK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBilateral agreement Type A for licensing of UK works in Japan and vice versa, including electronic reproduction rights
• ProLitteris (Switzerland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBilateral agreement for licensing of Swiss works in Japan including electronic reproduction rights through extended bilateral agreement
• Society for the Administration of Remuneration for Public Transmission for Academic Works (SARTRAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJAC is a member organization acting as distribution contractor for public transmission compensation fees under Copyright Act Article 35 for educational institutions
• RightsDirect JapansecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosts copyright seminars with RightsDirect Japan targeting enterprise customers on copyright compliance in DX/AI era

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• RightsDirect: Rights-licensing intermediary that co-hosts copyright seminars with JAC in Japan. Operates in adjacent rights-licensing territory with a focus on enterprise compliance and has partnered with JAC to reach DX/AI-era customers.

Direct peers

• VG Wort: Germany's largest collecting society for authors and publishers, with significant reproduction rights activity. Functionally comparable as a high-volume RRO serving academic and publisher members with collective licensing infrastructure.
• CEDRO: Spanish reproduction rights center that manages text and academic content licensing in Spain. Closely comparable as a national RRO with cross-border bilateral agreements, including with Japan, through the IFRRO network.
• Copyright Clearance Center (CCC): U.S.-based reproduction rights organization and JAC's bilateral partner for U.S.–Japan academic content licensing. Operates the same collective licensing model for academic and corporate text reproduction, with overlapping customer types (publishers, corporations, academic institutions).
• ProLitteris: Swiss copyright collective management organization with an extended bilateral agreement with JAC covering electronic reproduction rights. Comparable in providing cross-border text and image rights licensing through a similar CMO/RRO model.
• Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA): U.K. RRO with which JAC maintains a Type A bilateral agreement. Provides the same core service — collective licensing of academic and published text reproduction — to corporate and educational users, making it one of the closest functional analogues to JAC.
• Access Copyright: Canadian reproduction rights organization offering collective licensing for academic and published content. Comparable in serving both rights holders (authors, publishers) and corporate/educational licensees under a CMO framework.
• KOSA (Korea Online Service Association): Korean RRO formed via the merger of KOLAA into KOSA, which holds bilateral agreements with JAC. Operates an analogous Asian RRO model for academic and published text licensing in the Korean market.
• Copyright Agency: Australian RRO providing collective licensing for text, image, and digital content reproduction. Comparable as a national RRO with a similar bilateral-licensing posture across the Asia-Pacific region.

Others

• IFRRO (International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations): International federation of which JAC has been a full member since 2008. Not a competitor but a central coordinating body whose bilateral agreement framework underpins JAC's cross-border licensing capability.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@jacofficialch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance