General information
The Arts Law Centre of Australia, a not-for-profit organisation, is the national community legal centre for the arts. It provides legal advice and information on a wide range of arts related legal and business matters including contracts, copyright, business structures, defamation, insurance, employment and taxation to artists and arts organisations across all art forms.
The Arts Law Centre of Australia has a specialised Indigenous service, Artists in the Black. Artists in the Black aims to increase access to advice and information about the legal rights of Indigenous artists and organisations in a culturally appropriate way thanks to the help of Indigenous staff.
The Australian Copyright Council is an independent, non-profit organisation. Its mission is to advance the arts and the creative industries in Australia by promoting the value of copyright.
The Australian Copyright Council publishes a number of information sheets on copyright and copyright related topics. These information sheets can be accessed by keyword searching in the ‘find an answer’ section of the Australian Copyright Council website.
The Attorney-General provides general information on copyright on its website.
Copyright collecting societies
For music:
Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA)
APRA administers the public performance and communication rights for musical compositions and lyrics on behalf of authors, composers, music publishers and other music copyright owners.
Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners' Society Ltd (AMCOS)
AMCOS collects, administers and distributes royalties collected for the use of "mechanical" and "synchronisation" rights in the musical works of its members. Its members are composers and music publishers.
Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA)
PPCA issues licences for the broadcast, communication and public playing of recorded music (sound recordings) and music videos. Its members are Australian recording artists and record labels.
For print material:
Copyright Agency Limited (CAL)
CAL manages the copyright of authors, journalists, visual artists, surveyors, photographers and newspaper, magazine and book publishers to license the copying of their works to the general community.
An important function of CAL is the collection, administration and distribution of royalties from the statutory licences for the reproduction and communication of print material by educational institutions, the public, government and corporations.
For artistic works (visual arts):
Viscopy is the visual arts copyright collecting society. It licences the copyright in artistic works for its members, who are Australian and international visual artists and copyright owners, including Indigenous artists.
For film and television:
Screenrights (for rights holders)
Screenrights is a rights management and royalty collection service for rights holders in film and television. It administers statutory licences that allow educational institutions (school, TAFE or university) and governments to copy material from radio and television.
Australian Screen Directors Authorship Collecting Society (ASDACS) (for directors)
The ASDACS collects, adminitsers and distributes the royalties owed to Australian and New Zealand film and television directors, arigins from "secondary" use (blank video tapes, retransmission of broadcasts by cable and video rental for film and television) of rights, conferred on directors in countries, mostly European, that recognise the authorship of directors.
Australian Writers Guild Authorship Collecting Society (AWGACS) (for screenplay writers)
The AWGACS was established by the Australian Writers’ Guild to collect international royalties for the broadcasting or screening of the works of its Australian and New Zealand members, who are Australian and New Zealand performance writers.
For church music:
Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI)
CCLI issues licences and distributes fees for the use of Christian music and film resources by churches.
Word of Life International acts as an agent of owners of copyright liturgical music to provide copyright licences, collect royalties and otherwise facilitate the availability and use of religious music by churches, schools, and other religious organisations in the South Pacific basin.
Other organisations
The following industry groups also play an active role in copyright licensing and enforcement:
Business Software Alliance Australia (BSA)
BSA is a non-profit trade association created to advance the goals of the software industry and its hardware partners. Its mission is to promote a safe and legal digital world.
Australian Federation Against Copyright Theft (AFACT)
AFACT's aim is to protect its members, who are representatives of the film and television industry, as well as retailers and movie fans from the adverse impact of copyright theft in Australia.
Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association (ASTRA)
ASTRA is the peak body that represents the subscription television industry in Australia.
Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (iGEA)
iGEA is an industry association representing Australian and New Zealand companies in the computer and video game industry. Its mission is to advance the interactive games and entertainment industry.
Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA)
ARIA is a national recording industry association representing the interests of its members, ranging from small "boutique" labels to medium size organisations and very large companies with international affiliates.
Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI)
MIPI is an an organisation that conducts investigative, preventative and educational activities in relation to music piracy in Australia. MIPI acts on behalf of the 125 record companies through their association ARIA and over 2,000 songwriters and music publishers through their association AMCOS.
