By joining a collecting society, researchers can ensure they are paid when copyrighted book content and papers are reproduced.
“Lots of our members call us ‘the magic money tree’,” says Alison Baxter, head of communications for the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), a UK agency that compensates authors when their works are copied or shared after publication.
Such societies also collect royalties on behalf of scientists, for example when their paper is printed out and distributed to students. Anyone with publications to their name (and to which they own the copyright) can join a collecting society — though many people don’t, because of the misconception that it might be a scam. For those who do join, the rewards can be welcome: for example, each ALCS member received an average of around £450 this year.
The ALCS was founded in 1977 by a group of writers who realized that photocopiers were enabling people to reproduce and share works without the creators being compensated. They also set up an accompanying body, the Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA), which collects money that the ALCS then distributes to writers.
Many other countries have similar collective licensing bodies. The Copyright Agency in Australia, the Indian Reprographic Rights Organisation, CADRA in Argentina and Canada’s Access Copyright all generate revenue through similar processes. The Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) is responsible for similar licences in the United States, but sends payments to publishers for distribution to authors.
Authors need to join the relevant collecting society. This will generally be one based in the country in which their work has been published, although many have reciprocal agreements that allow them to collect income generated overseas that is owed to their members. In its 2022–23 financial year, the Copyright Agency paid out Aus$142 million (US$92 million) to rights holders in Australia and elsewhere.