Australian government service
About the service
In Australia, government departments are required to pay a royalty to copyright owners when they copy from television and radio. Screenrights is monitoring government copying under this service.
Where the royalties come from
Under agreements with the Government, a negotiated licence fee will be paid to Screenrights for the right to copy from television and radio.
Screenrights will collect this money, identify the programs that are copied and pay royalties to the rightsholders in these programs.
How the royalties are calculated
The value of royalties derived from the Australian Government Service will be dependent on the duration of the program and the nature of the program copied for government purposes.
See also: Full Distribution Policy (680K)
Royalties paid under the service
According to Screenrights' Distribution Policy, royalties are allocated to the following components of a television program copied under the Australian Government Service:
Component of TV program copied under the Act |
Royalty Allocation |
|---|---|
| Film (cinematographic film) | 67.1% |
| Script (literary and dramatic works) | 21.7% |
| Commissioned sound recordings | 0.64% |
| Commercial sound recordings | 1.06% |
| Library sound recordings | 0.20% |
| Musical (and associated literary) works | 7.3% |
| Broadcast signal | 2.0% |
Screenrights pays rightsholders directly for Film, Script and Commissioned Sound Recordings (CSR).
Royalties for Commercial Sound Recordings are paid via the Australian Record Industry Association (ARIA), royalties for Library Sound Recordings are paid via the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (AMCOS) and royalties for Musical Works are paid via the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).
The Broadcast Signal is paid directly to the relevant broadcasters by Screenrights.
Screenrights also pays royalties for Artistic Works incorporated in programs, which can include paintings, drawings, engravings, sculptures, photographs and other works of 'artistic craftmanship'.
See also: Info Sheet - Distribution Policy and Info Sheet - Artistic Works
Claiming royalties under this service
To claim royalties for government copying of programs in Australia you must be a member of Screenrights and register your titles.
Become a member
Screenrights is required by law to pay royalties to members only. It is free to join - you only need to join once, and membership is straightforward. Furthermore you are not giving any rights away by becoming a member.
If you are unsure if you are a member already, please contact us.
Register titles
As a Screenrights member, the only step necessary to claim Australian government copying royalties is to register your titles, or extend previous registrations to include the Australian Government Service.
Addressing Screenrights royalties in your contracts
Any agreements, including sales and distribution agreements, should ideally address who is entitled to claim Screenrights royalties as the owner, assignee, or exclusive licensee of the relevant copyright.
Screenrights publishes suggested clauses that address who is entitled to royalties under the various collection services we administer.
See also: Info Sheet: Standard Contract Clauses
Growing Old Disgracefully, Melodrama Pictures
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We’re thrilled with how well Bastard Boys has done and it’s great to know that the team from Screenrights are there working behind the scenes to make sure that funds from this market are collected on our behalf.
- Ray Quint and Brett Popplewell Producers Flying Cabbage Productions
