It is a condition of membership that members accept the Magazines Ireland code of verification of circulation.
Code of Verification of Circulation
1. Each title published by a member of Magazines Ireland will be classified in one of the following Code Categories:
a. News trade/Subscription Category
A title published by a Magazines Ireland member for sale in the news trade and/or by subscription, must have Magazines Ireland approved audit certification* if its claimed total annual circulation is greater than 50,000 copies. A title with claimed total annual circulation below this figure can hold Magazines Ireland approved audit certification if the publisher wishes, or the publisher can claim exemption from this requirement.
b. Specialist/Contract Category
A title published by a Magazines Ireland member and produced under contract to a customer must have a certificate verifying publication and circulation from the customer on the Magazines Ireland Standard Form of Certification produced for this purpose and a copy of the completed Form must be lodged with Magazines Ireland. No exemption is available in this category.
c. Trade/Industry Category
A title published by a Magazines Ireland member in this category must have Magazines Ireland approved audit certification* if its claimed total annual circulation is greater than 30,000 copies. A title with claimed total annual circulation below this figure can hold Magazines Ireland approved audit certification if the publisher wishes, or the publisher can claim exemption from this requirement.
d. Non-Commercial Category
A title published by a Magazines Ireland member which does not solicit, or carry, paid advertising in excess of 2% of total published space need not verify circulation and the publisher can claim exemption from the requirement to have Magazines Ireland approved audit certification.
e. Not Trading in Ireland Category
A title that does not sell advertising on the island of Ireland in excess of 2% of total published space need not verify circulation and the publisher can claim exemption from the requirement to have Magazines Ireland approved audit circulation.
* The internationally recognised audit certification systems currently approved by Magazines Ireland are: ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulations, Audit Bureau of Circulations Ltd, Saxon House, 211 High Street, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. HP4 1AD) and BPA International (Business of Performing Audits International, Nightingale House, 1-7 Fulham High Street, London SW6 3JH). Other audit systems may be considered by the Magazines Ireland Executive Committee for approval, and if approved, this information will be entered in the Magazines Ireland Code of Verification of Circulation as published on the website: www.magazinesireland.ie. Please contact Grace Aungier for details of other audit systems.
2. Circulation for the purposes of this Code means the number of magazine copies beneficially sold or traded.
3. Applicants for membership of Magazines Ireland must submit each published title under the following headings: name of publication, Code category, frequency of publication and Magazines Ireland approved verification. To claim Magazines Ireland approved verification, the submission for each title must include a current Certificate from a Magazines Ireland approved audit certification system, or a completed Magazines Ireland Standard Form of Certification in the Specialist/Contract Category. Exemption from Magazines Ireland approved audit certification can be claimed as outlined above.
4. Members must each year submit each published title under the following headings: name of publication, Code category, frequency of publication and Magazines Ireland approved verification. To claim Magazines Ireland approved verification, the submission for each title must include a current Certificate from a Magazines Ireland approved audit certification system, or a completed Magazines Ireland Standard Form of Certification in the Specialist/Contract Category. Exemption from Magazines Ireland approved audit certification can be claimed as outlined above.
5. Magazines Ireland will make a determination of compliance with the Code for each title submitted and will publish a List of Publications Compliant with the Magazines Ireland Code of Verification of Circulation, and will keep the List updated, on the website: www.magazinesireland.ie. The Magazines Ireland Code of Verification of Circulation will be published on the website: www.magazinesireland.ie. The entries of titles of fully paid-up Magazines Ireland members only will be published.
6. If Magazines Ireland is unable, for any reason, to make a determination of compliance in the case of a title, or if an existing determination of compliance of a title becomes suspect for any reason, Magazines Ireland reserves the right to withhold publication of the title’s entry in the List of Publications Compliant and the publisher of the title must be notified of the reasons as soon as possible.
7. A Magazines Ireland member, in respect of their own title, can appeal the content of the title’s entry in the List of Publications Compliant. Failure on appeal to agree on the entry of a publisher’s title in the List of Publications Compliant may be subject to binding arbitration by an arbitrator appointed by the Law Society. The entry for a title may be removed by Magazines Ireland from the List of Publications Compliant until the appeal is decided.
8. Any Magazines Ireland member can query the entry content of any title in the List of Publications Compliant. Such queries will be noted, considered, and acted upon by Magazines Ireland as it determines. The publisher of the title subject of the query will be notified as soon as possible that a query has been lodged.
9. Members who have submitted a title for publication in List of Publications Compliant will be notified of the content of the entry before it is published on the website: www.magazinesireland.ie. The entry will not be published until the member’s written permission is received.
10. If an error in the entry for any title in the List of Publications Compliant is notified to Magazines Ireland, and agreed as an error with Magazines Ireland , the entry will be corrected immediately upon agreement. If agreement of an error is not immediately reached, the entry for the title may be removed until agreement of the error is reached, and the matter may go to appeal under Clause 7.
11. The Magazines Ireland will take reasonable measures to ensure the security of information published on the website: www.magazinesireland.ie, and in the event of a breach in the www.magazinesireland.ie website security when made aware of the breach, Magazines Ireland will make reasonable efforts to correct any errors and ensure that the List of Publications Compliant is accurate, and may temporarily cease publication of the List for this purpose. No fault will attach to Magazines Ireland for erroneous information published following a breach of security of which it was unaware. The conditions under which the List of Publications Compliant is published on the website will be posted with the List.
12. If a member fails to adhere to the Rules of Magazines Ireland, or ceases for any reason to be a member, the member’s entries on the List of Publications Compliant may be removed at the discretion of Magazines Ireland. The member must be informed of this decision five working days before the removal of the entries.
13. The list of publications compliant with the Magazines Ireland Code of Verification of Circulation will be published on March 31 each year. Magazines not compliant on that date will not be listed but may be listed subsequently when compliance is achieved. Applicant members must join an audit certification system approved by Magazines Ireland within the current year of membership and must have a certificate for each title by 31 March of the following year.
14. Decisions regarding the operation of this Code will be made by the Magazines Ireland Executive Committee, or a sub-committee of the Executive Committee empowered by that Committee. Changes in the Magazines Ireland Code of Verification of Circulation will be made only by an Annual General Meeting, or an Extraordinary General Meeting of the members.
