Collective rights management organisations

The author has the exclusive right to determine whether, when and how the work may be used. In principle, an agreement of this nature for the use of a work is agreed between the author and the user. In the case of mass utilisations however, this is frequently impossible, for which reason the rightholders join together to form collective rights management organisations to manage their rights collectively.

The legislative authorities have also wished to make it easier for users to purchase rights and have placed a statutory obligation on the rightholders to have their rights managed through collective rights management organisations (so-called obligatory collective management). Collective rights management organisations are comparable with agricultural cooperatives through which farmers market their products.