In a method an owner of copyright in a copyright work uses computer equipment to transmit digital signal containing information regarding the copyright work to physically remote computer equipment of a licensing administrator. The licensing administrator uses the computer equipment thereof to receive the digital signal and to store the information contained in the digital signal in an electronic database. An applicant for a license to copy the copyright work uses computer equipment of the license applicant to transmit to the physically remote computer equipment of the licensing administrator request for a license. The licensing administrator uses the computer equipment thereof to receive the request, to process the request in conjunction with the digitally stored information regarding the copyright work in order to generate a license to copy the copyright work and to send a digital signal to the license applicant to confirm granting of the license.