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Engagement of an External Copyright Specialist

1. Background and Context

The International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) is an intergovernmental organisation whose mission includes the production, dissemination, and promotion of scientific and technical knowledge. The digital revolution has transformed copyright law and publishing practices, and AI introduces additional challenges.

 

Key issues include:

  • Absence of a comprehensive copyright policy.
  • Manual copyright transfers without a systematic framework.
  • Inconsistent rights tracking.
  • Uncertainty in author rights.
  • Variation in international copyright approaches.
  • Gaps in historical copyright records.
  • Pressure from open-access and AI.
  • Pressure from universities/laboratories' repositories

 

2. Objectives
  • Conduct an audit of current practices.
  • Benchmark against international organisations.
  • Identify legal risks.
  • Develop strategic options.
  • Provide actionable recommendations.
  • Deliver copyright usage guidelines for authors including fair use and exceptions
  • Deliver presentation-ready report.

 

3. Scope of Work

3.1 Audit & Assessment

  • Review agreements and policies.
  • Interview staff and authors.
  • Assess copyright records.

3.2 Benchmarking & Legal Analysis

  • Review comparable organisations.
  • Analyse international law and EU Directive 2019/790.
  • Identify best practices.

3.3 Strategic Options

  • Develop 3–5 policy options.
  • Provide pros/cons and risks.
  • Risk mitigation strategy
  • Recommend strategic direction

3.4 Reporting

  • Prepare final report.
  • Prepare presentation.

 

4. Deliverables
  • Inception report (Week 1)
  • Audit report (Week 3)
  • Benchmarking report (Week 5)
  • Strategic options paper (Week 6)
  • Final report (Week 7)
  • Presentation (Week 8)

 

5. Required Qualifications & Experience
  • Expertise in intellectual property law.
  • Experience with publishing organisations.
  • Knowledge of international copyright frameworks.
  • Familiarity with AI-related copyright issues.
  • Familiarity with academic processes

 

6. Governance & Reporting

The consultant will report to the IIR Secretary Director of Scientific and Technical Information.

 

7. Timeline
  • April 2026: TOR issued
  • May 2026: Consultant selected
  • June 2026: Reports delivered

 

8. Budget & Contractual Arrangements

Proposals should include a detailed budget and work plan.

 

9. Submission of Proposals

Submit proposals by 15 May 2026 to: s.hammami@iifiir.org

 

10. Evaluation Criteria
  • Technical expertise (30%)
  • Relevant experience (25%)
  • Methodology (20%)
  • International understanding (15%)
  • Value for money (10%)