Have you received an email from “Copyright Agent” or “PicRights”?
April 3, 2024
We are aware that businesses and individuals have been contacted by organisations such as Copyright Agent and PicRights in relation to the alleged unlicensed use of photographs on business or personal websites.
Copyright Agent and PicRights are not law firms. They are third parties acting on behalf of rightsholders to identify and remedy the unlicensed use of those rightsholders’ works online. Such rightsholders include Reuters, Alamay, Associated Press and Agence France Presse.
Copyright Agency is not affiliated with Copyright Agent or PicRights. We are a not-for-profit collecting society which grants and administers licences for the use of our members’ works in Australia. Copyright Agency can not provide legal advice.
If you have been contacted by Copyright Agent or PicRights and have questions about their claim, please direct your query to them using the contact details on their email. Alternatively contact them via their website:
If you are a Copyright Agency licensee and have received an email, please contact your Licensing Consultant or Relationship Manager, or email compliance@copyright.com.au
If you are a Copyright Agency member and have received an email, Copyright Agency is unable to provide legal advice, but you may be able to get advice from:
- The Australian Society of Authors (ASA) if you are a member of the ASA,
- the Australian Copyright Council if you meet their eligibility requirements, or
- Arts Law if you meet their eligibility requirements.
How can I minimise the risk of copyright infringement?
Recent research by FiftyFive5 has found that there are more than 505 million potential copyright infringements occurring in Australian businesses each year. Below are some ways that you can minimise your risk of copyright infringement:
- Have the appropriate licences and permissions in place. This includes for photographs or third-party text used on your website, extranet or in newsletters. Pay-per-use licences can be time limited or for a specific purpose so ensure that your licences are up to date and cover how you’re using the content. It may be useful to create a centralised licence register for your website or business so you can keep track of what you have licensed, from whom, for what purpose and/or for how long.
- Regularly review and audit your website for photographs or third-party text content that is out of licence, or no longer needed. This includes any publicly facing pages that may not be accessible via your main website i.e. newsletter landing pages, extranet pages, or social media.
- Licences or permissions are also required for the internal use of content within a business – i.e. downloading content and saving it to a server, printing an article or including third party content in a presentation or report. Copyright law does not distinguish between a copy being made and shared with colleagues or to external parties. See Copyright Agency’s website for more information about the blanket and transactional licensing options available.