Annual Code Reviewer’s report for 2020–21
December 15, 2021
The report by the Annual Code Reviewer on collecting societies’ compliance with the Code of Conduct in 2020–21 is now available here.
The objectives of the Code are to facilitate efficient and fair outcomes for members and licensees by:
- promoting awareness of and access to information about copyright or the resale royalty right or both and the role and function of Collecting Societies in administering copyright or the resale royalty right or both on behalf of Members;
- promoting confidence in Collecting Societies and the effective administration of copyright or the resale royalty right or both in Australia;
- setting out the standards of service that Members and Licensees can expect from Collecting Societies; and
- ensuring that Members and Licensees have access to efficient, fair and low-cost procedures for the handling of Complaints and the resolution of Disputes involving Collecting Societies.
Matters covered in the Code include governance and accountability, education and awareness, and complaints and disputes.
Each annual report on compliance looks at, among other things, Copyright Agency’s management of any complaints in the reporting period.
Copyright Agency provided information to the Annual Code Reviewer on three matters that arose in 2020–21, that are summarised in the Code Reviewer’s report. The Annual Code Reviewer did not raise any concerns about Copyright Agency’s management of those matters.
The Annual Code Reviewer also refers to complaints made directly to him by the Copyright Advisory Group to the Education Council, Universities Australia and the Australian Digital Alliance. With the agreement of those organisations and the collecting societies, the Annual Code Reviewer has referred those matters to the Triennial Code Reviewer, who has commenced a review of the obligations in the Code: see here.