Since 2007, CCC has partnered with Outsell, Inc., provider of must-have intelligence to data, information, and analytics businesses worldwide, to conduct independent research and analysis into content consumption in the workplace by professionals across industries.
The following is an excerpt from the ebook, “2025 Copyrighted Content Usage Trends,” which draws on data from the 2025 Information Seeking and Usage Study to offer insights into how employees think about, use, and share copyrighted content today, including with AI tools.
The full ebook can be found here.
The Paradox of Executive Behaviors
From research to medical communications, from legal to marketing, sharing content with colleagues across job roles and departments is critical. Executives are sharing significantly more material and more often than colleagues in middle management and individual contributor roles.
According to the 2025 study, executives report the highest level of copyright awareness (94%) but are most likely to share in ways that may not be allowed by their companies’ own policies. Ninety-two percent of executives report considering copyright before forwarding information and 90% acknowledge awareness of “serious risks of copyright infringement” when they do. Yet, 90% of executives will share any and all relevant materials to help their organization in competitive, mission-critical, or time-critical situations.
While executives still report the highest frequency of sharing, there were notable increases in the with at both the middle management and individual contributor levels. The number of people that middle managers report sharing information with increased by 48.5% and by 41% for individual contributors, raising the potential instances of unlicensed sharing to 74.8 and 37.8 respectively.
Content Access and Sharing by Industry
Content sharing is influenced by the nature of the industry in which professionals work and collaborate. While some companies may be more reliant on externally created materials such as competitive intelligence, technical standards, and published research, all companies in all industries need to monitor market conditions, changing regulations, and current events. In all cases, companies frequently share these materials.
Employees are accessing more publications than in 2023. In some industries, including Law Firms, Computers and Electronics, Transportation and Automotive, and Oil and Gas Extraction, content access is significantly higher than the survey average.
The potential instances of unlicensed sharing per employee, per week is notable in some industries. Computers and Electronics led the way with 314.5 potential instances, followed by Law Firms (192), Consulting and Professional Services (86.5), and Software and Systems (79.1).
Copyright Awareness and Attitudes
Companies report an increased frequency of communicating copyright policy in the most recent survey compared to 2023. This increased sharing of the policy has likely led to 77% of employees stating that they are aware of their company’s copyright policy, up from 74% in 2023. However, employee attitudes and behaviors about copyrighted content are often misaligned with policy expectations, and there is much lower awareness of how copyright policies apply when using AI tools.
Rising Risk of Copyright Infringement
While the sharing of information with co-workers supports collaboration and drives innovation and the use of AI tools increases the volume and speed that content can be consumed, using externally published information without first obtaining the necessary licenses or permissions carries potentially significant risk.
The widespread adoption of AI tools (more than 50% of survey respondents) and lack of understanding that copyright policies also apply to the use of content with AI applications creates additional compliance risks. The routine content exchanges and integration of AI into workflows that improve efficiencies and keep business moving may actually create or increase the risk of copyright infringement, leading to costly lawsuits or settlements and affecting brand reputation.
Keep Learning
- 2025 Copyrighted Content Usage Trends resource page
- AI, Copyright & Licensing community page
- The Heart of the Matter: Copyright, AI Training, and LLMs – Executive Summary
- An Inside Look at T. Rowe Price’s Approach to Copyright & Responsible AI