Last updated 12 February 2026

As many individual copyright owners are not in a position to enforce their copyright by policing the copying of their works, copyright owners often enlist copyright collecting societies to license the use of their works and collect payments on their behalf. Collecting societies are non-profit organisations and membership is optional. If a copyright owner chooses to become a member of a relevant collecting society, they assign certain rights to that particular society. In so doing, the collecting society has the authority to:

  • license specific use of copyright material
  • collect any fees payable for such licences from copyright users
  • distribute fees (less administrative costs) to copyright owners.

There are a number of copyright collecting societies in Australia.

Copyright Agency Limited

Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) is the collecting society for copyright owners of literary works such as publishers and writers. Since 2017, visual arts members are now also members of CAL (after VISCOPY merged with CAL). CAL is responsible for licensing photocopying by educational institutions and various other bodies. CAL acts as an agent for its members and affiliated reproduction-rights organisations overseas to administer and protect copyright owners’ reproduction rights.

Screenrights

Screenrights (formerly known as Audio-Visual Copyright Society Limited) is the collecting society for film producers and distributors, script writers and music copyright owners. Screenrights collects royalties on behalf of producers, distributors, rightsholders in scripts, music, artistic works and sound recordings and other rightsholders in film and television programs. Screenrights also administers the statutory licence that allows educational institutions to copy radio, television broadcasts and, more recently, other uses of audiovisual material. It also has a licence with the Australian Government that allows government departments to copy from television and radio, provided they pay a fee to the rightsholders.

Australian Performing Rights Association/Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society

Australian Performing Rights Association/Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (APRA/AMCOS) licenses the broadcast, public performance and cable transmission of live and recorded musical works and accompanying lyrics, and licenses certain recording of music and lyrics, and photocopying of sheet music by schools. APRA/AMCOS’s members consist of composers and music publishers.

Phonographic Performance Company of Australia Ltd

Phonographic Performance Company of Australia (PPCA) licenses the broadcast and public performance of sound recordings (which are protected separately to any music and lyrics on the recording). The members of the PPCA are owners of copyright in sound recordings, principally record companies.