Photocopies and reproductions of protected works

Regulatory fact sheet, updated on 2 November 2026. General information, not legal advice: legislation changes, so check it at the source.

In brief

• Reproducing a protected work (book, magazine, score, photo, illustration) in principle requires the authorisation of the author or their successors in title.
• For photocopying and paper reproduction (“reprographics”) of books and the press, this right is transferred by law to an approved body: in France, the CFC (Centre français d'exploitation du droit de copie, the French reproduction rights organisation). Only the CFC can sign authorisation contracts for these copies (CPI, article L. 122-10).
• Private copying is a narrow exception: a copy made from a lawful source, strictly reserved for the private use of the copyist. According to case law, a copy shop that makes the copies itself for a customer does not fall within this exception.
• Infringement: up to 3 years' imprisonment and a €300,000 fine (CPI, article L. 335-2).

1. The principle: the author's authorisation

The Code de la propriété intellectuelle (CPI, the French Intellectual Property Code) reserves the right of reproduction to the author. Any reproduction without authorisation, outside the legal exceptions, is an infringement.

• Penalty: article L. 335-2 (version in force since 5 June 2016): 3 years' imprisonment and a €300,000 fine; 7 years and €750,000 for organised gangs. Source: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000032655082/
• Term of protection: 70 years after the author's death (as the CFC points out in its FAQ). Note: a translation, an annotated edition or a recent layout may remain protected even if the original work is in the public domain.

2. Reprographics: compulsory collective management

CPI, article L. 122-10 (version in force since 24 December 2016):

• the publication of a work entails the transfer of the right of reproduction by reprography to a collective management organisation approved by the Minister responsible for culture;
• only that organisation may conclude agreements with users authorising such copies;
• the author's consent remains necessary for copies intended for sale, rental, advertising or promotion;
• reprography means reproduction in the form of a copy on paper or a similar medium by a photographic technique or a technique with an equivalent effect allowing direct reading.

Source: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000033688059

The CFC is the approved body for photocopying of books and the press. It represents French and foreign authors and publishers, without any declaration on their part; authors and publishers cannot manage this right themselves (CFC, questions and answers). Authorisations take the form of contracts with declaration of the works copied and payment of a fee (general fee schedule). Sources: https://v1.cfcopies.com/questions-reponses and https://www.cfcopies.com/

Existing contracts (examples, CFC): education (primary, secondary, higher), public administrations and local authorities, businesses (“Copies internes professionnelles”, internal professional copies), etc. The “Copies internes professionnelles” contract provides that the signatory business informs the CFC when it entrusts copying to a service provider. Source: https://www.cfcopies.com/media/445/download/Contrat-CIPro.pdf

“Copies-services” contract for copy shops: the CFC offers a specific sector contract that allows a reprographics business to photocopy, or provide its customers with the means to photocopy, pages of books and press articles. According to the CFC, it is the copy shop that must hold the authorisation, not its customer. Main conditions:

• reproduction of an entire publication is prohibited;
• at most 10% of the content of any one book, 20% of the content of any one press publication;
• certain works, on a list kept up to date by the CFC, may not be reproduced; press reviews and course materials are excluded;
• a poster supplied by the CFC, setting out these limits, must be displayed prominently on the premises;
• an annual fee per establishment, depending in particular on the number of copiers and the proximity of a university site.

Source: CFC, “Copies services”: https://v1.cfcopies.com/copie-professionnelle/copies-services

The CFC's approval to manage the reprography right was renewed for five years by order (arrêté) of 8 July 2026: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000054442407

3. Private copying: a narrow exception

CPI, article L. 122-5, 2° (version in force since 1 January 2023): the author may not prohibit “copies or reproductions made from a lawful source and strictly reserved for the private use of the copyist” and not intended for collective use (with exceptions for works of art, software and databases). Source: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000037388886/

Who is the “copyist”? In the so-called Rannou-Graphie ruling (Cour de cassation, the French supreme court, 1st civil chamber, 7 March 1984, no. 82-17.016, published in the bulletin), a self-service photocopying shop had allowed a customer to run off several dozen copies of a chapter of a book. The Court held that the copyist, within the meaning of the Act of 11 March 1957 (now article L. 122-5 of the CPI), is the person who holds the equipment on their premises and operates it by making it available to their customers, regardless of whether the customer or an employee operates the machine, as long as the business ensures its operation under its supervision and control. As the copies were not intended for the private use of this copyist, and the operator was making a profit from them, the private copying exception did not apply; the conviction for infringement was upheld. Source: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/juri/id/JURITEXT000007013790

Current scope: the CFC still relies on this reasoning: the copy shop, which controls the equipment installed on its premises, is the copyist, and its customer cannot invoke private copying (“Copies services” page above). Self-service or over-the-counter copying: in both cases, the authorisation must be held by the copy shop.

4. What a copy shop may do

No difficulty:

• reproducing documents of which the customer is the author or holds the rights (their own texts, photos, logos);
• reproducing public-domain works in an unprotected edition;
• reproducing official texts as published by Légifrance (laws, codes, Journal officiel, court decisions), whose content is, unless otherwise stated, under the Etalab 2.0 open licence (Légifrance, “Open data et API” page: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/contenu/pied-de-page/open-data-et-api). By contrast, annotated or commented editions published by a private publisher (annotated codes, commented collections) are not covered by this licence: their notes and commentary are protected like any other work. To be confirmed with a legal professional.

With caution / authorisation:

• photocopies of extracts from books or magazines for a customer: falls under the CFC's collective management; the copy shop must have signed the “Copies-services” contract (10% of a book, 20% of a press publication at most);
• prints intended to be sold, rented or used in advertising: the consent of the author or publisher is required (article L. 122-10);
• reproducing an entire book or score available commercially: to be refused without the publisher's authorisation.

CFC guidelines for educational copies (education contracts): at most 10% of a book and 30% of an issue of a periodical, with the references of the work. These ceilings apply to the contracts concerned; they are not a general rule of law. Source: https://v1.cfcopies.com/questions-reponses

Sheet music: the SEAM (Société des éditeurs et auteurs de musique, the society of music publishers and authors) is the body approved by the Minister of Culture to manage the right of reproduction by reprography of published music; its approval was renewed for five years by order (arrêté) of 29 August 2026 (JO of 11 September 2026). The SEAM states that it authorises photocopies of published works available commercially, under its agreements, and that photocopying a score, even of a public-domain work, is not free: the edition contains protected elements. Sources: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000054826937 and https://www.seamfrance.fr/divers/les-questionsreponses-faq/faq-photocopies/

5. Practical tips

• Ask the customer whether they are the author or have authorisation; note it on the order form.
• Display a reminder of the rules (copyright, private copying) near self-service copiers.
• Sign the “Copies-services” contract with the CFC and display the poster supplied near the copiers; for sheet music, contact the SEAM.

Main sources

• CPI, article L. 122-10: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000033688059
• CPI, article L. 122-5: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000037388886/
• CPI, article L. 335-2: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/article_lc/LEGIARTI000032655082/
• CFC, questions and answers: https://v1.cfcopies.com/questions-reponses
• CFC, Copies internes professionnelles contract: https://www.cfcopies.com/media/445/download/Contrat-CIPro.pdf
• CFC, Copies services: https://v1.cfcopies.com/copie-professionnelle/copies-services
• Cour de cassation, 1st civil chamber, 7 March 1984, no. 82-17.016: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/juri/id/JURITEXT000007013790
• Arrêté of 8 July 2026 (CFC approval): https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000054442407
• Arrêté of 29 August 2026 (SEAM approval): https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000054826937
• SEAM, questions about photocopies: https://www.seamfrance.fr/divers/les-questionsreponses-faq/faq-photocopies/

General information, not legal advice. Written on 1 November 2026.

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