Benefits
of Membership
ARS
works to ensure respect for and to safeguard the rights of artists
in the United States and abroad. Membership in ARS places the artist
under the protective umbrella of ARS in the U.S. and its sister
foreign rights societies abroad.
International
Cooperation
An immediate benefit of membership in ARS is that any reproduction
or other use of an artist's work abroad is monitored by our sister
rights societies in numerous foreign countries. Publishers, manufacturers,
and museums are informed that the artist or artist’s estate
is protected worldwide, and that they must clear reproduction rights
in advance of any publication and pay the requisite rights fees
wherever applicable.
Among the foreign rights societies protecting ARS member rights
abroad are:
Australia, VI$COPY
Belgium,
SABAM
Canada,
SODRAC
Denmark,
COPY-DAN
Finland,
KUVASTO
France,
ADAGP
Germany,
VG BILD-KUNST
Great
Britain, DACS
Italy,
SIAE
Japan,
SPDA
The
Netherlands, BEELDRECHT
Norway,
BONO
Spain,
VEGAP
Sweden,
BUS
Switzerland,
PROLITTERIS
A complete list of our sister societies may be found in the “Affiliated
Organizations” section of this site.
ARS
and its sister societies are members of the international confederation
of copyright societies, Confédération Internationale
des Sociétés d'Auteurs et Compositeurs. Known
by its acronym, CISAC, this organization has led the way in setting
worldwide standards for the protection of intellectual property
rights through the combined efforts of its member societies.
Lobbying
and Legislation
At the domestic level, ARS actively lobbies state and federal legislatures
for stronger and more effective artists’ rights laws. Successful
lobbying efforts include the extension by twenty years of the current
U.S. copyright term, through the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension
Act, enacted on October 27, 1998. ARS was also instrumental in obtaining
passage of the copyright restoration provisions of the 1994 GATT
accords. We continue to lobby for the institution of the resale
royalty in the United States, also known as the Droit de Suite,
a right which is available in a number of European states.
Licensing
With respect to our licensing activities, ARS offers a range of
services to our members designed to aid them in the granting or
withholding of permission to reproduce their works. ARS legal experts,
specializing in copyright and permissions matters, are available
to respond to members’ inquiries regarding their rights. Members
may call at any time.
Guarding
against Piracy
We also help protect our members’ rights and guard against
piracy, illicit use, or copyright infringement, by monitoring the
use of their works. Remedies for illicit use include collection
of fees, imposition of penalties, and interdiction of goods.
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