Summary of September 2024 licensing updates

This article outlines key updates to BioRender’s licensing terms, effective as of September 5, 2024. These changes address figure ownership, publishing in open access journals, and citation requirements, ensuring a better experience for BioRender users. You don’t need to take any additional steps—just continue using BioRender as usual. By doing so, you automatically agree to these updates.

Table of Contents

1. Key licensing changes
2. Impact on existing users
3. Troubleshooting common questions
4. Related articles
5. Need help?

Key licensing changes

We have updated our Terms of Service, Academic License Terms, Industry License Terms, Basic License Terms, User Content Terms and Help Center articles as described below.  

1. Citations and Open Access publications

• BioRender now requires users to generate an open-access publication license for each graphic they intend to publish in an open-access journal. The provided citation must be included in the article and can be placed where the author sees fit such as in a figure caption, footnote, references page, acknowledgements section, etc.
• This update allows users to publish graphics in open access journals subject to CC-BY licensing while maintaining more control over their figures.
• Learn more: 
  • Publishing in open-access resources
  • How to cite your BioRender figure

2. Figure ownership clarification

• All updated terms include plain English commentary to simplify legal language.
• Ownership clarification:
  • You own the work you create in BioRender.
  • We only intend to own, and continue to own, BioRender’s library icons and templates.

3. Changes to named first/co-first author requirements

• For Academic Lab/Institution plans and Industry Team/Enterprise plans, listing a BioRender user as a named author is no longer mandatory if citation requirements are met.
• For Individual plans, users must be listed as the first, co-first, last, or co-last author.
• Learn more: Author listing requirements for publishing BioRender figures

Impact on existing users

All BioRender users must follow the updated publication and citation requirements to publish completed graphics.

These changes impact how figures are cited and the flexibility of publication, particularly for Open Access journals.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I don’t include the required citation?

Failure to include the citation may result in non-compliance with BioRender’s terms, potentially affecting publication permissions.

How do I know which plan I’m on?

You can check your subscription type under “Plan & Billing" in your BioRender account settings.

What if my journal doesn’t accept the citation format?

The citation can be adapted to match your journal’s preferred citation format.

Related articles

• Understanding the importance of citing BioRender
• CC-BY publishing and reader permissions
• Publishing in closed-access resources

Need help?

If you have any questions or concerns:

1. Email Support: support@biorender.com
2. Live Chat: Available by clicking on the "Help" bubble in the app on the bottom right-hand corner.