Copyright management and royalty income during COVID-19
June 10, 2020
With exhibitions, sales, teaching and other sources of casual income in short supply, the licensing income and resale royalties that flow to visual artists are more essential than ever. You’ve been asking for advice during this challenging period, so we’ve compiled some tips and information for you. And as always, the Visual Arts team remains focused on supporting you and delivering services efficiently and effectively.
Copyright management and licensing services
More digital uses
With the closure of venues and exhibitions we have seen an increase in online reproductions. We are working closely with public and private galleries to provide the necessary copyright clearances for work to be shown, licensed and protected. If you are a Copyright Agency member and have been approached by a gallery, please check in with us as we may have an existing licence agreement in place from which you are earning income.
Free permissions
Have you been contacted by organisations or individuals who want to use your work for free? We support visual artists to receive income from the rights and royalties legally available to them, but we understand that there may be times when you prefer to waive fees. We’ve prepared an information sheet to assist you in making this decision and how to handle free permissions.
Protecting your work online
If your work appears online there are steps you can take to limit ‘casual copying’. We’ve a helpful article on the topic.
Resale royalties
During this time of restricted movement, you may have had the chance to think about where you work is appearing and being sold. If you have questions about the Resale Royalty Scheme and want to know if it applies to you, here’s a good starting point for some helpful information.
Looking for more?
We’re keeping a running list of arts organisations offering additional support and reassurance during the pandemic. You can find them on our COVID-19 resources page, which includes a dedicated section for visual artists, and more general sources of advice for the creative industries.