Print and periodical publishing rules

Book, newspaper, journal and directory publishers share three duties beyond the cross-cutting rules in run a compliant publishing business. (These apply to print and online publishing; they do not apply to software publishing.)

Deposit copies with the legal deposit libraries

Under the Legal Deposit Libraries Act 2003 you must deposit one copy of every printed publication with the British Library within one month of publication, and — on request — with the five other legal deposit libraries. Electronic and online publications are covered by the Legal Deposit Libraries (Non-Print Works) Regulations 2013. This applies UK-wide.

Meet consumer subscription rules

Periodical and digital subscriptions sold to consumers must meet pre-contract information, fairness and cancellation rules. Auto-renewal and pricing transparency are enforced by Trading Standards, and the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 — enforced by the Competition and Markets Authority — tightens subscription-contract duties (clear pre-contract information, reminder notices and easy exit) as its provisions are commenced.

Handle directory and mailing-list data lawfully

Compiling, selling or renting directories and marketing lists is core personal-data processing. You need a lawful basis, data subjects have rights (including the right to object to direct marketing and, under PECR regulation 18, to be left out of subscriber directories), and any onward sale of a list must satisfy UK GDPR transparency and consent rules.

Next steps

Make sure the cross-cutting duties for your business are in place — see run a compliant publishing business — then confirm everything with the publishing compliance checklist.