Copyright collective

A copyright collective (also known as a copyright collecting agency or collecting society) is a body created by private agreements or by copyright law that collects royalty payments from various individuals and groups for copyright holders. They may have the authority to license works and collect royalties as part of a statutory scheme or by entering into an agreement with the copyright owner to represent the owners interests when dealing with licensees and potential licensees.

Related Topics:
Copyright law - License - Statutory

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Authors of literary or artistic works as well as holders of related rights enjoy exclusive rights to authorise or prohibit the use of their works. In cases where the rights cannot be enforced vis-à-vis individual members of the public or where individual management would not be appropriate, given the number and type of uses involved, right holders are granted a remuneration right instead. These rights are typically managed by collecting societies.

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The underlying idea of collective copyright management is widely shared and collecting societies have a key role in all developed countries. Because of historical, legal, economic and cultural diversity among countries, regulation of collecting societies and the markets where they act vary from one country to another. In Europe collecting societies require their members to transfer them exclusive administration rights of all of their works. United States and Canada have less restricting rules as members maintain their rights simultaneously with collecting societies.

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