NEW DELHI: The Indian government has decided to authorize all registered Indian newspapers to enter into syndication arrangements with foreign publications, under an automatic approval route subject to fulfilment of certain guidelines.
 

Cases involving relaxation of the guidelines would, however, require prior approval of the ministry of information and broadcasting, according to a statement from the government.

The government policy had so far allowed Indian newspapers and periodicals to procure material like photographs, cartoons, crossword puzzles, articles, features etc from foreign publications (content providers), for publication in Indian publications, on the basis of syndication arrangements having prior approval of I&B ministry.

The automatic approval route would be subjected to the following conditions:

*The total material so procured and actually printed in an issue of the Indian publication does not exceed 7.5 per cent of the total printed area of that issue.

*The syndicated material does not include full copy of the editorial page or the front page of the foreign publication.

*The masthead of the content provider publication is not utilized in the Indian publication.
*Credit to the content provider is necessarily given prominently as a byline in the Indian publication.

*The material procured under syndication arrangement is such that has already been published in the content provider publication.

Any case involving relaxation of any of the above conditions would require to be examined by the I&B ministry and before any material is actually procured under syndication arrangement beyond the above noted conditions, the Indian publication should have applied for and obtained prior approval of the ministry. 

These guidelines would not apply to the cases where the ministry of I&B has issued its approval/no objection certificate for publication of Indian edition of a foreign magazine/journal/newspaper.