Code of Conduct annual compliance review 2022

June 23, 2022

Members, licensees and other stakeholders are invited to make submissions to the Code Reviewer about Copyright Agency’s compliance with the Code of Conduct for Collecting Societies in 2021–22.

Copyright Agency is a signatory to the Code. Our compliance with the Code is reviewed annually by the Code Reviewer. The current Code Reviewer is the Dr Kevin Lindgren AM QC, a former judge of the Federal Court. You can find out more about the Code here.

CODE OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this Code are to facilitate efficient and fair outcomes for members and licensees by:

  • promoting awareness of and access to information about copyright or the resale royalty right or both and the role and function of Collecting Societies in administering copyright or the resale royalty right or both on behalf of Members;
  • promoting confidence in Collecting Societies and the effective administration of copyright or the resale royalty right or both in Australia;
  • setting out the standards of service that Members and Licensees can expect from Collecting Societies; and
  • ensuring that Members and Licensees have access to efficient, fair and low-cost procedures for the handling of Complaints and the resolution of Disputes involving Collecting Societies.

Matters covered in the Code include governance and accountability, education and awareness, and complaints and disputes.

BACKGROUND TO THE CODE

The Code of Conduct for copyright collecting societies was developed in 2002. It followed support for a code by the Copyright Law Review Committee in its report in 2000 on the Copyright Tribunal.

In developing the Code, the collecting societies took into account codes used in other industries (such as banking and telecommunications), and Australian standards for complaints handling and dispute resolution. The societies also consulted closely with the Attorney-General’s Department.

The Code was substantially amended in July 2019, following a review and report by the Bureau of Communications and Arts Research in the Department of Communications and the Arts (here).

PARTICIPATING IN THE 2020 CODE REVIEW

Members, licensees and other stakeholders are invited to make submissions to the Code Reviewer, by 31 July 2020, about compliance by Copyright Agency with the Code in 2021–22.

You can email the Code Reviewer at codereviewer@gmail.com, or mail to: The Code Reviewer, Suite 704, 4 Young Street, Neutral Bay NSW 2089.

You can also view the formal notification of the review here.

23 June 2022