In many cases copyright owners have found it difficult
or inconvenient to license use of their works
themselves. To solve the problem they have formed collecting societies or collective licensing
bodies. These recognized non-profit making organisations license certain uses of their works on
their behalf.
Collective licensing means that a user may be offered
a blanket licence covering use of all the
repertoire of the collecting society. This also benefits users as they do not need to negotiate a
large number of individual licences.
As collecting societies may effectively be in a monopoly
position for some uses of copyright
material an independent tribunal, the Copyright
Tribunal, exists to adjudicate where the collecting
society and users or groups representing users fail to agree the terms and conditions of a licensing
scheme.
You should review the terms and conditions offered a collecting
society carefully before
committing.
Most collecting societies have Internet sites. Searching
the Internet is a good place to start
looking for a collecting society which is appropriate for your needs.
