Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, has announced it has partnered with Firstsource Solutions to implement Digi-EXPress®, a patented cloud-based automated workflow solution and rights management system, for the processing, tracking, and management of all permission grant information from third-party rightsholders relating to Elsevier book products.
The Digi-EXPress® permissions database is a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that will serve as Elsevier’s central repository for all third-party permission information, including details of the Elsevier book product, the rightsholder’s product, the specific material for which permission has been granted, any applicable restrictions to the permission grant, and any applicable permission fees, among other data.
“We partner with experts around the globe to develop world-class content, delivering it in multiple media formats,” said Linda Belfus, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Content at Elsevier.
“As more of our products migrate from print to digital formats, ensuring rights compliance for all content is a top management priority, and Digi-EXPress Rights Management System is proving to be a valuable tool to support our compliance and ‘due-diligence’ efforts.” said Mark Seeley, Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Elsevier.
“By deploying Digi-EXPress®, Elsevier is able to enhance visibility and management oversight of the global rights we license and own, and to automate and optimize many of our rights management functions,” said Natalie Qureshi, Global Permissions Manager at Elsevier.
The Digi-EXPress® permissions database will help Elsevier improve time-to-publication and production workflow by reducing delays caused by incomplete or outstanding permissions. User dashboards will display each user’s active projects upon log-in along with the current status of each project, flagging any priority items that require follow-up such as a high permission fee, no response from a rightsholder, or a permission restriction or denial. Digi-EXPress® also provides automated data exchange capabilities allowing users to import Excel format permission logs provided by Editorial staff, authors, and freelancers and to export permissions data for reporting on restrictions, fees, total usage per project and per rightsholder, and overall performance. Elsevier’s Copyrights Team has processed permissions for more than 100 total projects containing more than 15,000 total permission items via the database since its launch in May this year.
“We work closely with Elsevier’s team to provide secure hosting and complete training and support packages, including context-sensitive online help screens, webinars, and global help desk support through the resources of Firstsource® to facilitate staff development and optimization of Digi-EXPress features,” said Dick Stahl, Managing Director, Digi-EXPress LLC.
James Hill, Vice President, Publishing for Firstsource, added: “We look forward to working with Elsevier to make this a successful partnership. Our publishing capabilities focus on delivering the latest in technological advancements to help publishers comprehensively manage rights and permissions and mitigate legal risks.”
For further information, please visit www.digi-express.com.
