Promoting Standards of Collective Management

Transparency and accountability are key to the effective operation of collective rights management (CRM) organisations.  We work closely with the international trade body, International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), to promote and support the effective operation of collecting societies around the world, with specific focus on emerging markets.  In partnership with the UK Government and the Intellectual Property Attachés, we work to improve understanding of copyright, promote the necessity of authors’ rights, the necessity of well-functioning collective management and the enforcement of rights.     

In Europe, we have consistently championed the case for minimum standards for collective management, actively supporting the development of the Collective Rights Management Directive.  The Directive, established for the first time, is a statutory regulatory framework for the operation of collection societies, including the representative nature of governance structures, the frequency of distributions and the absolute transparency of income and expenditure.

The CRM Directive was adopted in February 2014 and introduced into UK law in April 2016.

Read our 2013 position paper in response to the initial proposals: