Welcome to the Jamaican Copyright Licensing Agency
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Selected JAMCOPY Milestones

1997

  • Copyright Seminar held by the Book Industry Association of Jamaica and the Copyright Unit, Ministry of Commerce and Technology to sensitize owners and users of copyright works to the role of a collective licensing agency

 

1998

  • National Task Force launched to establish a reproduction rights organisation
  • JAMCOPY incorporated as a non-profit company
  • JAMCOPY Inaugural Banquet
  • Start-up of JAMCOPY
  • JAMCOPY accepted as a member of IFRRO

 

1999

  • JAMCOPY signed Letters of Intent with RROs in Canada, UK and USA
  • JAMCOPY moved into its own offices, appointed a full-time Administrator and began operations
  • JAMCOPY received official recognition from the Government of Jamaica (GOJ) as the National RRO
  • Membership recruitment drive began in earnest
  • JAMCOPY commenced negotiations with the GOJ for a photocopying licence for the public sector

 

2000

  • Licensing negotiations continue with the GOJ
  • Membership recruitment drive continues
  • JAMCOPY scales down operations due to lack of funding

 

2001

  • JAMCOPY signs its first licence, a J$4.4M agreement with the Government of Jamaica

 

2002

  • JAMCOPY resumes full operations, underwritten by the advances paid by the GOJ on licensing fees
  • First General Manager is appointed
  • Type B Bilateral Agreements signed with Australia, Brazil, Canada, Greece and Slovakia
  • JAMCOPY gets a seat on IFRRO’s Latin America & Caribbean Committee
  • Negotiations for a Type B Bilateral Agreement with the United Kingdom concluded
  • JAMCOPY begins assisting Trinidad in setting up second Caribbean RRO

 

2003

  • JAMCOPY signs Bilateral Agreement with Belgium, Iceland and Zimbabwe
  • Plans for commencement of negotiations for licences for Schools, Higher Education and Copshop sectors finalized
  • Negotiations with the United States of America for a Type B Bilateral Agreement advanced
  • First Annual General Meeting held
  • JAMCOPY presents 2 papers at the Annual General Meeting of IFRRO in Madrid

 

2004

  • JAMCOPY signs Bilateral Agreement with United States of America
  • First International Copyright Conference successfully organised and hosted by JAMCOPY

 

2005

  • JAMCOPY organized and hosted first Caribbean Regional Consultation in Ocho Rios Jamaica
  • JAMCOPY began licensing negotiations with the Ministry of Education, Youth & Culture as well as tertiary institutions.
  • JAMCOPY made its first distribution of royalties to affiliates

 

2006

  • The first tertiary licence was signed

 

2007

  • Commenced negotiation with universities

 

2008

  • Successfully concluded licences with UWI, UTECH, NCU and UCC
  • Hosted IFRRO AGM at The Ritz Carlton, Montego Bay
  • The IFRRO AGM in Montego Bay was the first IFRRO meeting in the Caribbean

 

2009

  • Founding Chair demits office and 2nd Chairman installed

 

2012

  • JAMCOPY relocated to its current offices and expanded its staff to six

 

2013

  • The JAMCOPY Cultural Fund is established. Its’ objectives include providing training for rights holders to improve their skills in creation and management of their copyrighted works, supporting competitions and awards to motivate and reward excellence in creative works and supporting well established national (Jamaican) organizations and institutions which promote and preserve creative works.

 

2014

  • JAMCOPY passed the J$100M mark in total royalties distributed
  • 3rd Chairman appointed

 

2015

  • The Lignum Vitae Writing Awards were launched, a beneficiary initiative of the JAMCOPY Cultural Fund
  • The inaugural #theOnlineMind: Caribbean Digital Publishing Conference was successfully organized and hosted by JAMCOPY

 

2016

  • Staff expanded to 8
  • CARROSA, the Caribbean Reproduction Rights Organisations’ Agency (CARROSA) is established. This regional entity comprises the five (5) Reproduction Rights Organisations (RROs) in the Caribbean: Jamaican Copyright Licensing Agency [JAMCOPY], Trinidad & Tobago Reprographic Rights Organisation [TTRRO], Barbados Copyright Agency Inc. [B-COPY], Belize Copyright Licensing Agency [BECLA], Eastern Caribbean Copyright Licensing Association [ECCLA]. CARROSA will represent the regional RROs and rightsholders in Caribbean countries without a functioning RRO in providing cross-border licensing solutions to users of copyright image and text-based publications.
  • JAMCOPY undertakes comprehensive review of its governance structure, affiliation rules and royalty distribution models and implements recommended changes to ensure alignment with global best practices for transparency, accountability and good governance.

 

2017

  • JAMCOPY achieved important milestones: 751 affiliates: 709 creators and 42 publisher affiliates; thirty-three (33) licences in Jamaica and thirty-five (35) bilateral agreements with foreign RROs.

 

2020

  • JAMCOPY opens its YouTube channel, JAMCOPY Jamaica. Webinars entitled ‘Conversations beyond the book’ addressing practical lifestyle issue of interest to authors and publishers, e.g. pensions investment and preparing for retirement.

 

2021

  • On May 5, JAMCOPY signs a licence with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information to licence copying in public primary and secondary high schools.

 

2022

  • JAMCOPY first General Manager, Ms Carol Newman, retires. New CEO, Mrs Karene Miller joins JAMCOPY.
  • JAMCOPY-JACAP-JAMMS co-host a short video competition for high school students on copyright and related rights in celebrating Intellectual Property (IP) Week 2022. The winning videos can be viewed on JAMCOPY’s YouTube channel.
  • JAMCOPY reactivates its social media presence:
    • youtube JAMCOPY Jamaica
    • FacebookJamcopyJamaica
    • X @jamcopy
    • Insta@jam.copyjamaica

 

2023

  • JAMCOPY’s ‘Power Talk on Women in IP’ for World IP Day celebrations, April 26. Panelists: Veronica Carnegie, Velma Pollard, Courtney Greaves, Terri-Karelle Reid, Sharon Fox-Mould (joined online)
  • JAMCOPY’s 25th anniversary celebrating 37 local licensees, 44 international bilaterals and 888 creator and publisher affiliates.

 

2024

  • JAMCOPY hosted “Art ah mi bread and buttah”, a free hybrid seminar providing practical information for visual artists intending to pursue or already making a living from their art.
  • JAMCOPY in collaboration with the Jamaica Library Service to establish the National Children’s Book Collective (NCBC). The NCBC’s mission is to promote literacy and the reading habit by ensuring that Jamaican children have access to a diverse range of quality indigenous literature which is culturally relevant, age appropriate and engages their interest. A review panel will determine criteria and select suitable material for inclusion in the collection from submissions by Jamaican authors and publishers. Sets of the collection, funded by the project, would be placed initially in the children’s section of each Parish Library in 2026.

 

2025

  • First and former General Manager (1998- 2021) Ms Carol Newman, passed away suddenly on June 4, 2025. Ms Newman was laid to rest on June 24.
  • JAMCOPY increases royalty distribution payments to its author and publisher affiliates to JMD45 Million.
  • JAMCOPY achieves the milestones of 926 affiliates: 884 Creators and 42 Publishers; 39 bilaterals covering 44 territories and, 39 licensees (2 government, 7 higher education/universities, 4 vocational, 21 further education, e.g. community colleges, teacher’s colleges, and 5 bible colleges.
  • JAMCOPY opens its Linked In account: linkJAMCOPY
  • JAMCOPY unveils its new logo at its 20th Annual General Meeting in July 2025.

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