Copyright Agency is a signatory to the Code of Conduct for Copyright Collecting Societies.
See the Code of Conduct website for the Code, and information about it.
The Code of Conduct was developed and adopted by Australian copyright collecting societies (copyright management organisations) in 2002, and has been updated a number of times since. A significantly revised version of the Code was adopted on 1 July 2019, implementing recommendations from a review of the Code by the Bureau of Communication and Arts Research (BCAR) in the Department of Communications and the Arts.
The Code is intended to facilitate efficient and fair outcomes for members and licensees by:
- increasing awareness of the role of copyright and copyright collecting societies
- setting out the standards of service that members and licensees can expect from collecting societies
- ensuring that members and licensees have access to efficient, fair and low-cost procedures for complaints and disputes
Annual review of compliance with Code
Each collecting society’s compliance with the Code is reviewed annually by the Code Compliance Reviewer.
The process includes:
- a report by each society on its compliance with the Code
- a call for submissions from members, licensees and others affected by the activities of copyright collecting societies
- a report by the Code Reviewer
- publication of the report on the Code of Conduct website
Code Compliance Reviewer
The current Code Reviewer is the Hon Dr Kevin Lindgren AM QC, a former judge of the Federal Court and President of the Copyright Tribunal.
Triennial Review of Code itself
The Code is reviewed at least once every three years. Past reviews were conducted by the Code Reviewer (now the Code Compliance Reviewer), who invited submissions from collecting societies, their members and licensees on amendments to improve the operation of the Code. The Code was amended from time to time as result of this process.
The Code was significantly amended on 1 July 2019, implementing recommendations from a review by the Bureau of Communication and Arts Research (BCAR). The next review will be in 2021. It will be done by a Triennial Code Reviewer appointed by the collecting societies. The Triennial Code Reviewer will be a different person to the Code Compliance Reviewer.
View past Triennial review reports.
In 2014, Copyright Agency made submissions to the Code Reviewer in response to amendments sought by the NSW Government and Copyright Advisory Group to COAG Education Council:
