Design and Artists Copyright Society
Encyclopedia
The Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS) is a UK not-for-profit rights management
organisation that exists to collect and distribute royalties
to visual artists.
It works to ensure that visual artists’ copyright
and related rights are protected and that these rights are recognised both financially and morally.
DACS was established in 1984 and in the last five years, it has distributed £34.5 million in royalties to visual artists through its services. It represents 60,000 visual artists and artists’ estates worldwide through an international network of collecting societies
. DACS is a member of CISAC
(Confédération Internationale des Sociétés d´Auteurs et Compositeurs).
in the UK, to ensure that they were fairly remunerated and their rights respected.
Copyright Licensing is the organisation’s longest running service where DACS acts as an agent on behalf of visual artists to manage requests to reproduce their work. Royalties are paid to artists through this service four times a year.
In 2001, DACS launched a new collective licensing service for visual artists. Known as Payback, this service distributes a share of revenue generated through various UK collective licensing schemes back to visual artists. Visual artists whose work has been reproduced in UK publications and on certain UK television channels are entitled to share of this revenue. Artists are required to submit a claim to DACS between June and September and royalties are then paid in December to successful claimants.
On 14th February 2006, and following a European Directive, visual artists in the UK benefited from the Artist's Resale Right (Droit de suite
) for the first time. This Right entitles artists to a portion of the sale price when their work is resold through an auction house, art gallery
or art dealer
, however there are certain conditions which govern an artist’s entitlement to benefit from this Right. DACS collects resale royalties on behalf of its artist members and those that do not join another collecting society. From 1st January 2012, the Artist’s Resale Right will be fully implemented in the UK which will entitle artist’s heirs and beneficiaries to a resale royalty.
CBE, of Finers Stephens Innocent, as the new Chair of the Board of Directors, replacing Andrew Potter who steps down in December 2011.
Copyright collective
A copyright collective is a body created by copyright law or private agreement which engages in collective rights management...
organisation that exists to collect and distribute royalties
Royalties
Royalties are usage-based payments made by one party to another for the right to ongoing use of an asset, sometimes an intellectual property...
to visual artists.
It works to ensure that visual artists’ copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
and related rights are protected and that these rights are recognised both financially and morally.
DACS was established in 1984 and in the last five years, it has distributed £34.5 million in royalties to visual artists through its services. It represents 60,000 visual artists and artists’ estates worldwide through an international network of collecting societies
Copyright collective
A copyright collective is a body created by copyright law or private agreement which engages in collective rights management...
. DACS is a member of CISAC
Confédération Internationale des Sociétés d´Auteurs et Compositeurs
Confédération Internationale des Sociétés d´Auteurs et Compositeurs , founded in 1926, is a performance rights organisation, which coordinates the protection of its member creators' rights.As of June 2010, CISAC numbers 229 authors’ societies from 121 countries and indirectly represents more than...
(Confédération Internationale des Sociétés d´Auteurs et Compositeurs).
History
DACS was founded in 1984 by a group of artists and lawyers who identified that there was a need for an organisation to manage visual artist’s copyrightCopyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
in the UK, to ensure that they were fairly remunerated and their rights respected.
Copyright Licensing is the organisation’s longest running service where DACS acts as an agent on behalf of visual artists to manage requests to reproduce their work. Royalties are paid to artists through this service four times a year.
In 2001, DACS launched a new collective licensing service for visual artists. Known as Payback, this service distributes a share of revenue generated through various UK collective licensing schemes back to visual artists. Visual artists whose work has been reproduced in UK publications and on certain UK television channels are entitled to share of this revenue. Artists are required to submit a claim to DACS between June and September and royalties are then paid in December to successful claimants.
On 14th February 2006, and following a European Directive, visual artists in the UK benefited from the Artist's Resale Right (Droit de suite
Droit de suite
Droit de suite is a right granted to artists or their heirs, in some jurisdictions, to receive a fee on the resale of their works of art...
) for the first time. This Right entitles artists to a portion of the sale price when their work is resold through an auction house, art gallery
Art gallery
An art gallery or art museum is a building or space for the exhibition of art, usually visual art.Museums can be public or private, but what distinguishes a museum is the ownership of a collection...
or art dealer
Art dealer
An art dealer is a person or company that buys and sells works of art. Art dealers' professional associations serve to set high standards for accreditation or membership and to support art exhibitions and shows.-Role:...
, however there are certain conditions which govern an artist’s entitlement to benefit from this Right. DACS collects resale royalties on behalf of its artist members and those that do not join another collecting society. From 1st January 2012, the Artist’s Resale Right will be fully implemented in the UK which will entitle artist’s heirs and beneficiaries to a resale royalty.
Governance
DACS is governed by a board of 9 directors. They include both artists and lawyers as well as other professionals who are responsible for the overall performance of the organisation. In October 2011, DACS announced the appointment of Mark StephensMark Stephens (solicitor)
Mark Howard Stephens CBE is a British solicitor specialising in media law, intellectual property rights and human rights with the firm Finers Stephens Innocent...
CBE, of Finers Stephens Innocent, as the new Chair of the Board of Directors, replacing Andrew Potter who steps down in December 2011.