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.
What happens to the money if I don't register?
As this is income subject to a statute, your right to claim it
expires after 6 years.
To ensure you are properly registered to receive statutory royalties download and complete a membership form and tick the Statutory Rights box.
Members can register their works by filling out and returning the Publication and Broadcast Register Form (pdf)
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