Writer's Contracts

Here is the News Limited contributors’ contract issued in January 2008:

‘News Group Publishers’ needs to record the rights which you give to us
when you submit materials for publication and the terms upon which your
contributions are accepted.

You will be paid as agreed beforehand between you and The Managing
Editor

Set out below is the basis upon which the Works provided by you will be
accepted for publication:

1. In submitting your Works you warrant that they are original Works
created by you. If you breach this warranty you must indemnify us
against any costs or damages we may incur by reason of this breach.

2. You must conform to the company’s ethical standards in producing the
works and must abide by the Company’s Privacy Policy.
3. You will provide any Works that you have agreed to provide by the
deadlines established by the editor of the Publication.

4. You agree that we may edit the Works in accordance with our usual
practice.

5. You are not engaged as an employee and our relationship with you is
one of licensor/licensee. You grant to each News Group Publisher, a
licence to publish the Work:
* once, and exclusively for the first time, in the Publication;
* in an electronic version of the Publication; and
* to promote the Publication.

6. You grant to News Group Publishers a perpetual, non-exclusive,
worldwide licence to, and to license other people to, electronically
reproduce, store, transmit and communicate the Work and to make copies
from Works electronically received, but not to republish the Work in a
newspaper, magazine, book or other similar publication except as set
out in paragraph 4.

7. If we do not publish the Work within 60 days of the time it is
received by us all rights in the Work will revert to you and the
licence will lapse, unless there is a written agreement to the contrary.

8. If we inform you that we no longer require the Work you have been
commissioned to provide: * 7 days or less before the date you were required to deliver the Work to us, we will pay you only 50% of the agreed fee and expenses incurred by you that we had agreed to pay.

9. If you become liable to pay GST we will pay that amount in addition
to the fee otherwise payable, upon receipt of a tax invoice.
In return for your agreement, the Publisher agrees to indemnify you in
respect of any claim made against you for defamation arising out of the
publication of the Works by us or any person authorised by us.

It is intended to keep this letter on a database. If you subsequently
provide contributions for other publications whether published by us or
other New Group Publishers, this will form the basis on which you
provide Works for publication unless revoked by you or the relevant
publisher after 30 days notice to the other. However the rights
granted in respect of Works already published cannot be revoked.

As noted above as a contributor you are not an employee and so you must
ensure that you take out and maintain public liability insurance to a
level that is satisfactory to the company and workers compensation
insurance in accordance with any applicable legislation. The company
may call upon you at any time to show compliance with this requirement regarding insurances.

You must indemnify the company for any loss or liability incurred by
the company arising out of the performance or non-performance of the
services under this agreement including physical loss of or damage to
the property of the company and any other property and damage,
expense, loss or liability in respect of personal injury, disease, illness or death.