Public Lending Right Act 1979

1 Establishment of public lending right. U.K.

(1) In accordance with a scheme to be prepared and brought into force by the Secretary of State, there shall be conferred on authors a right, known as “public lending right”, to receive from time to time out of a Central Fund payments in respect of such of their books as are lent out to the public by local library authorities in the United Kingdom.

(2) The classes, descriptions and categories of books in respect of which public lending right subsists, and the scales of payments to be made from the Central Fund in respect of it, shall be determined by or in accordance with the scheme; and in preparing the scheme the Secretary of State shall consult with representatives of authors and library authorities and of others who appear to be likely to be affected by it.

(3) F1 ... the Schedule to this Act has effect F1 ....

(4) The [F2 Board] shall be charged with the duty of establishing and maintaining in accordance with the scheme a register showing the books in respect of which public lending right subsists and the persons entitled to the right in respect of any registered book.

(5) The [F3 Board] shall, in the case of any registered book determine in accordance with the scheme the sums (if any) due by way of public lending right; and any sum so determined to be due shall be recoverable from the [F3 Board] as a debt due to the person for the time being entitled to that right in respect of the book.

(6) Subject to any provision made by the scheme, the duration of public lending right in respect of a book shall be from the date of the book’s first publication (or, if later, the beginning of the year in which application is made for it to be registered) until 50 years have elapsed since the end of the year in which the author died.

(7) Provision shall be made by the scheme for the right—

(a) to be established by registration;

(b) to be transmissible by assignment or assignation, by testamentary disposition or by operation of law, as personal or moveable property;

(c) to be claimed by or on behalf of the person for the time being entitled;

(d) to be renounced (either in whole or in part, and either temporarily or for all time) on notice being given to the [F4 Board] to that effect.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 1(3) omitted (1.10.2013) by virtue of The Public Bodies (Abolition of the Registrar of Public Lending Right) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/2352), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 7(2) (with art. 8)

F2 Word in s. 1(4) substituted (1.10.2013) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the Registrar of Public Lending Right) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/2352), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 7(3) (with art. 8)

F3 Word in s. 1(5) substituted (1.10.2013) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the Registrar of Public Lending Right) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/2352), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 7(3) (with art. 8)

F4 Word in s. 1(7)(d) substituted (1.10.2013) by The Public Bodies (Abolition of the Registrar of Public Lending Right) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/2352), art. 1(2), Sch. 1 para. 7(3) (with art. 8)