ROYALTIES - STATUTORY LICENCES

Do we have money for you?

Even if you're not registered with VISCOPY, or any other international visual arts society, royalties may have been allocated to you because of the statutory licenses issued to educational and government institutions.

How much is it worth?

The amounts can range from a few dollars to several thousands, and are paid six monthly. But you must be a registered member of a visual arts copyright agency like VISCOPY to claim them.

Becoming a member is free of charge, and there are no annual fees to remain a member. Copyright subsists for the duration of your life plus 50 years, and once you're registered you're eligible to collect.

How does it work?

If an artistic work has been photocopied, videotaped, retransmitted or communicated by these institutions, a royalty is payable to the copyright holder. A number of these institutions are selected each year for surveying - they submit records of what and whose work they've copied to the relevant collecting agency.

These "statutory" licences are the visual arts equivalent of the licences issued to radio and television stations by a number of music industry organisations that allow them to broadcast music continually without first seeking the permission of each individual copyright owner. It's a relatively new concept in the visual arts industry, but long-established practice in music and literature. At last, this same right now applies to all visual artists because of changes to the copyright act.

I'm quite well-established and don't need the money . . .

You can direct VISCOPY to make the Australian Visual Artists Benevolent Fund the beneficiary of your statutory royalty. This fund was established to assist visual artists in extreme need and is administered through NAVA. Donations to the fund over $2.00 are tax-deductible.