Frequently asked questions
Can Innguma access paid or registration-only sources?
A watch platform can only incorporate a paid or registration-only source if your organisation has the right of access and the licence allows the intended use: capturing, processing and distributing within the organisation. Paying for a subscription gives the right to read, not necessarily to redistribute. At Innguma, the incorporation of a subscription source is studied with each organisation when the watch is designed, without bypassing paywalls or terms of use.
What is the difference between reading a source and watching it?
Reading is an individual act. Watching chains four different acts, and each one may need its own authorisation:
- Access: entering the content with credentials or a subscription.
- Reproduction: copying the content, even technically, in order to process it.
- Automated analysis: filtering, classifying or summarising it with tools, which EU law calls text and data mining.
- Internal distribution: including it in a newsletter or dossier that other people in the organisation read.
Many subscription licences cover the first and restrict the others, for example by number of users or by prohibiting redistribution.
What does intellectual property law say?
| Rule | What it establishes | What it means for watching |
|---|---|---|
| Directive (EU) 2019/790, Article 4 | A text and data mining exception for works to which lawful access has been obtained, unless the rightholder has reserved that use; for online content, by means of machine-readable tools[1] | Without lawful access there is no exception, and a reservation by the rightholder cancels it |
| Directive (EU) 2019/790, Article 15 | Press publishers’ rights over the online use of their publications for two years; they do not cover hyperlinks or very short extracts[1] | Linking to the source does not raise the same problem as reproducing the article |
| Intellectual Property Act, Article 32.1 | Collections of press articles that consist essentially of their mere reproduction for commercial purposes give rise to a right to remuneration, and the author may object[2] | An internal press dossier is not a simple quotation |
What does CEDRO say about press summaries in companies?
CEDRO, the collective management body for authors and publishers of books, magazines and newspapers, holds that including press articles in dossiers for distribution within an organisation requires the rightholders’ authorisation, under Article 32.1 of the Intellectual Property Act. In September 2026 it reported 1,462 companies and administrations with its licence to share press[3]. Among its recommendations[4]:
- A digital subscription allows the article to be read, but not included in an internal summary.
- Sending only a link does not require authorisation; according to CEDRO, a headline accompanied by a link does.
- The company remains responsible for the use even if an external agency prepares the summary.
- Authorisation can be requested from each publisher, or from CEDRO, which offers an internal-use licence covering several media outlets[5].
These are the criteria of a collective management body; for a specific case, they should be checked with the organisation’s legal advisers.
Are there open sources that cover the same ground?
Often, yes, and they are the primary ones. A patent can be consulted for free in Espacenet, which gives access to information on inventions since 1782[6]; a European tender, in TED[7]; a legal rule, in the BOE or the Official Journal of the EU. Paid press provides analysis and context, but the fact the watch needs to confirm is usually published earlier, and for free, in the official source.
How does Innguma approach this?
Innguma continuously monitors news and websites, patents, regulation and the BOE, tenders, competitors’ websites and specialist sources. Each signal links to the publication it comes from, so the reader can go to the original. If a source requires a subscription or registration, its incorporation is studied with your organisation when the watch is designed, starting from who holds the access and what the licence allows.
Questions to ask before incorporating a paid source
- Who holds the subscription, and for how many people is it?
- Does the licence allow automated use and internal distribution, or only reading?
- Has the publisher reserved text and data mining in its terms or on its website?
- Does it offer an official channel, such as an API or a corporate licence, for that use?
- Is linking enough, or does the newsletter need to reproduce the content?
- Is there an open primary source that covers the same ground?
Sources and references
- [1] Directive (EU) 2019/790 on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market (Articles 4 and 15). EUR-Lex, 2019
- [2] Royal Legislative Decree 1/1996, consolidated text of the Intellectual Property Act (Ley de Propiedad Intelectual), Article 32. Spain's Official State Gazette (BOE)
- [3] CEDRO. More than 1,400 organisations committed to press copyright. 2 September 2026
- [4] CEDRO. 10 recommendations if you use press summaries. 9 June 2020
- [5] CEDRO. Licence for internal use of press articles (press summaries)
- [6] European Patent Office. Espacenet: patent search
- [7] EU Publications Office. About TED (Tenders Electronic Daily)