I’ve purchased an ePublication product. Why do I need to pay an annual fee? Don’t I own the publications when I take the initial subscription?

When subscribing to the ePublication product, individuals and companies are effectively leasing the publications for usage. It’s not an outright purchase of all publications. This works much like any other software licensing agreement. Licenses expire if not renewed.

What publications are included in the ePublication product?

The COPAS ePublication product contains all active Accounting Guidelines (AGs), Model Form Interpretations (MFIs), Model Form Modifications (MFMs), and Training and Reference Documents. The product does not contain the Model Form Accounting Procedures (Accounting Procedures). (Model Form Accounting Procedures are electronically available through COPAS-approved vendors. COPAS sells watermarked paper copies on the website.)

The documents in the ePublication product are all keyword search enabled. Enter a keyword and see each document reference where that keyword appears.

Is there a limit of how I can use these publications for my daily work?

The material contained in the ePublication product is protected by Copyright and subject to Copyright laws. The publications included in the ePublication product is important to the daily work that you complete. Registered users may quote, with attribution, selections from within the publications, but no publication is to be copied or printed substantially in its entirety and provided for use by non-registered users.

I’ve paid for my annual subscription, when will I receive my product?

Payment can be made by check or credit card. Once the invoice is paid, subscribers will receive immediate access by logging into their member dashboard. If you have questions or encounter problems, please contact the COPAS office.

Can I share my individual subscription with co-workers?

No. The product is licensed to a single user. Your co-worker can occasionally ask for you to research a topic for them. If requests occur more than occasionally, the co-worker should purchase their own subscription.

I purchased as a site license. Is there a limit to the number of users?

ePublication site licenses are unlimited use. The license covers company employees, but not company consultants. Site license holders may access the publications from their member dashboard (each subscriber will receive an individual login to access their dashboard).

When do I need to let the COPAS office know I don’t want to renew my subscription?

You must inform the COPAS office by December 1 of each year if subscriptions will not be renewed.

What if my subscription lapses?

Once a subscription lapses, subscribers lose the benefit of annual renewal pricing. A new subscription must be started, at the price in effect at the time the subscription is restarted.

What if I purchase a publication from the COPAS website, separate from the ePublication subscription?

Directly purchased products from the COPAS website are not part of the ePublication product and are owned by the person or company making that direct purchase. Direct product purchases are priced individually and purchased one time. Products purchased directly and separately may be kept in individual or company libraries. A direct product purchase does not waive the Copyright laws. Usage of this material must still comply with the COPAS materials usage policy.

What happens when new publications are approved by the Council?

The Council meets in semi-annually, in April and September or October of each year. There is not a set pattern as to when COPAS publications are released. Publication development goes through a rigorous process, ending with a vote by the Council at one of the semi-annual meeting dates. Once the Council approves the publication, it goes through a technical writing process. Shortly thereafter the document is made available to all subscribers and the general public.

New publications or updates will be added to ePublications and can be accessed via the member dashboard. Once again, subscribers do not own the publication, but rather are licensed to use the publication.

What should I do if I find COPAS Copyrighted material for download in the public domain (internet)?

COPAS will never publish Copyrighted material in the public domain. COPAS would appreciate notice when you find such material in the public domain as it’s a violation of the Copyright laws. Please email COPASoffice@copas.org, or call (303) 300-1131 with the information. COPAS will take it from there.

COPAS aggressively pursues any intellectual property violation and have successfully litigated every known violation.