CEPIC
CEPIC is an international non-profit trade association representing the visual media licensing industry, providing EU and WIPO advocacy, an annual congress, and member services to picture agencies, rightsholders, and content creators across more than 30 countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CEPIC does
CEPIC (Centre of the Picture Industry) is an international non-profit trade association headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, representing the visual media licensing industry. Founded in 1993 and reincorporated as an A.I.S.B.L. (Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif) in Brussels on 2022-05-18, CEPIC's membership spans more than 30 countries and includes picture agencies, stock photo libraries, rightsholders, content creators, and technology providers in the visual media ecosystem. The organization does not develop proprietary technology products; instead, it operates as an industry body providing networking, standards-setting, and policy advocacy services.
Core offerings include an annual congress (CEPIC 2025 in Antibes, France with 200+ delegates; CEPIC 2026 announced for Valencia, Spain), a members directory, industry guidelines, webinars, working groups, and advocacy representation at EU institutions and WIPO. Recent congress themes have emphasized AI ethics and licensing, reflecting CEPIC's role in shaping industry responses to generative AI disruption.
CEPIC's business model is membership-dues driven, supplemented by event registration fees (including a newly introduced virtual access tier at 99 EUR) and corporate sponsorships from industry participants including Shutterstock, Getty Images, and Google. The organization operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and reinvests revenues into member services, advocacy, and event production as a non-profit association.
CEPIC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CEPIC
- Legal name
- CEPIC, International Association of the Media Licensing Industry
- Website
- https://cepic.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- CEPIC is an international non-profit trade association representing the visual media licensing industry, providing EU and WIPO advocacy, an annual congress, and member services to picture agencies, rightsholders, and content creators across more than 30 countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CEPIC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trade Association Services
- NAICS
- Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Business Associations (813910)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Professional & Association Conferences (MPAGAGAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Legal & Compliance Conferences (MPAGAGAI), Professional & Certification Expos Organizers (THAHABAD)
Keywords
Where CEPIC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CEPIC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Fees: CEPIC generates revenue through membership fees from trade associations, individual members, and company members active in the visual media licensing industry. Members receive benefits including representation at EU and WIPO, press release publication, blog participation, exclusive news access, directory listing, and congress discounts.
- Annual Congress Event Revenue: CEPIC hosts annual congress events (CEPIC 2025, CEPIC 2026) with registration fees, table area bookings, and virtual access passes. Additional services include speed dating sessions, pitch presentations, and sponsorship packages.
- Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors support CEPIC events through various sponsorship packages including headline sponsorships, workshop and lounge opportunities, and digital channel visibility. Sponsors include major visual media companies like Shutterstock, Getty Images, Google, IMATAG, and others.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Access Pass |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
CEPIC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CEPIC is an international non-profit trade association (A.I.S.B.L.) that provides membership services to visual media licensing professionals, including trade associations, picture agencies, stock agencies, and news agencies. Its core offerings consist of an annual Congress event (CEPIC 2025, CEPIC 2026), member-exclusive webinars, advocacy representation at the European Union and WIPO on copyright and AI policy, an online members directory, industry guidelines, and networking opportunities. Membership is open to trade associations, individuals, and companies active in visual media licensing.
Product overview
CEPIC is an international non-profit trade association (A.I.S.B.L.) serving as the united voice of the visual media licensing industry in Europe and beyond. Rather than a software product company, CEPIC provides a portfolio of member services including its flagship annual Congress event (CEPIC 2025, CEPIC 2026), exclusive webinars featuring industry experts, advocacy programs on copyright and AI, an online members directory, industry guidelines resources, and a news/blog platform. These services are designed to foster collaboration, protect copyright, and shape industry standards for visual media professionals.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CHERISH: Connecting photographic heritage with Europe's digital future - a project focused on digitizing and preserving photographic heritage.
Products and services
- CEPIC Membership Recurring membership program for trade associations, companies, and individuals in the visual media licensing industry, providing policy representation at EU and WIPO, exclusive industry news, press release publication, blog participation, members directory listing, and discounted congress attendance.
- CEPIC Annual Congress CEPIC's flagship annual three-day networking event for the visual media licensing industry, bringing together up to 400 professionals from 30+ countries for panels, workshops, keynotes, speed dating, and business meetings. Available with in-person and virtual access options.
- CEPIC 2025 / 2026 Virtual Access Pass Virtual access ticket offering remote attendance to live CEPIC Congress sessions plus access to event recordings. CEPIC 2025 virtual pass was priced at 99 EUR.
- CEPIC Webinars Exclusive webinar series for CEPIC members featuring industry-leading experts on topics relevant to visual media licensing, copyright protection, and AI.
- CEPIC Congress Sponsorship Packages Tiered sponsorship packages (Headline, Silver, Bronze) for the annual CEPIC Congress, offering brand visibility, panel sponsorship, workshop and lounge opportunities, delegate bag and lanyard sponsorship, speed dating session sponsorship, and digital channel presence.
Companies that use CEPIC
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
CEPIC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CEPIC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.
- EANA (European Alliance of News Agencies)coreCEPIC and EANA have strengthened their partnership in 2025 to promote trust in visual journalism and enhance industry standards for image licensing and copyright protection. The collaboration is highlighted at CEPIC 2025 with a keynote by AFP's Éric Baradat and a panel on combating war disinformation through image verification.
- IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council)majorIPTC partnered with CEPIC 2025 as a valued partner, bringing expertise in global metadata and media standards. IPTC contributed lightning talks, hands-on workshops, and helped attendees navigate the future of image licensing, AI, and content authenticity.
- ShutterstockmajorShutterstock returned as a sponsor for CEPIC 2025, supporting a key panel on licensing content for AI training. They sponsored the panel 'How to License for AI Training' and attended with seven delegates and a dedicated table.
- IMATAGmajorIMATAG joined CEPIC 2025 as an official sponsor and member. They sponsored a panel discussion on digital watermarking and content protection, and maintained presence in the Table Area.
- PicRights Europe GmbHmajorPicRights served as a Silver Sponsor for CEPIC 2025, sponsoring the conference panel on infringement tracking and providing official event lanyards.
- AlamysupportingAlamy returned as a Bronze Sponsor for CEPIC 2025, supporting the event by sponsoring official CEPIC t-shirts available at registration.
- IMAGOsupportingIMAGO returned as a Bronze Sponsor for CEPIC 2025, sponsoring delegate bags and joining with a dedicated table.
- Getty ImagesmajorGetty Images is listed among the sponsors supporting CEPIC 2025, contributing to the conference sessions and event logistics.
- GooglemajorGoogle is listed among the sponsors supporting CEPIC 2025, contributing to conference sessions on AI and content authenticity.
- PICSELsupportingPICSEL sponsored the Speed Dating networking event at CEPIC 2025, supporting this new feature designed to help attendees connect quickly and efficiently.
- BikiniListssupportingBikiniLists sponsored the Speed Dating networking event at CEPIC 2025, helping attendees make quick introductions and build connections.
- FotoArenasupportingFotoArena returned as the official photo platform sponsor for CEPIC 2025, capturing networking moments, panel discussions, and highlights from the event.
- WirestocksupportingWirestock sponsored the AI for Good Pitch Presentations session at CEPIC 2025, showcasing AI tools to streamline business workflows.
- ActivosupportingActivo is listed among the sponsors supporting CEPIC 2025.
- Sipa PresssupportingSipa Press is listed among the sponsors supporting CEPIC 2025.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights2 records
CEPIC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry): Global trade body for the recorded music industry. Comparable to CEPIC as a non-profit association advocating for copyright protection and licensing standards at the EU and international levels, though serving a different creative vertical.
- IFRA (WAN-IFRA / World Association of News Publishers): Global trade association for the news publishing industry. Comparable to CEPIC as an industry advocacy body operating in the same media ecosystem, but broader in scope (entire news publishing industry rather than visual media licensing specifically).
Direct peers
- PACA (Picture Archive Council of America): North American trade association for the image licensing industry representing stock agencies and picture libraries. Direct peer as the regional counterpart to CEPIC, focused on advocacy, standards, and member services for visual media licensing companies.
- BVPA (Bundesverband professioneller Bildanbieter): German trade association for professional image providers and a CEPIC founding member. Direct peer serving the same visual media licensing constituents in the DACH region with parallel advocacy and standards work.
- BAPLA (British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies): UK trade body for image licensing agencies and picture libraries. Direct peer of CEPIC in the British market, with overlapping agenda on copyright enforcement, licensing standards, and member advocacy.
- EANA (European Alliance of News Agencies): Alliance of European news agencies. Direct peer of CEPIC on the news agency side of the visual media ecosystem, with a strengthened 2025 partnership with CEPIC and overlapping efforts on image verification and trustworthy visual journalism.
Emerging players
- IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council): Standards body for news metadata, content authenticity, and visual media. Comparable to CEPIC because it serves overlapping constituencies (news agencies, picture agencies) and was a CEPIC 2025 partner, though its focus is technical standards rather than policy advocacy.
- SNAP (Stock Artists Alliance): Advocacy group for stock photographers and visual content creators. Comparable to CEPIC's individual and creator membership focus, though smaller and US-centric rather than European in scope.
- INPA (International News Photography Association): Organization supporting news photographers and visual journalism professionals. Peer to CEPIC because it represents the creator side of the same visual media supply chain CEPIC's agency members work with.
Regional players
- European Magazine Media Association (EMMA): European trade association for magazine publishers. Comparable to CEPIC as a Brussels-based, EU-advocating media trade body, though its focus is magazine publishing rather than visual media licensing specifically.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CEPIC social profiles
Digital presenceCEPIC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CEPIC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
CEPIC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CEPIC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CEPIC
What does CEPIC do?
CEPIC is an international non-profit trade association (A.I.S.B.L.) that provides membership services to visual media licensing professionals, including trade associations, picture agencies, stock agencies, and news agencies. Its core offerings consist of an annual Congress event (CEPIC 2025, CEPIC 2026), member-exclusive webinars, advocacy representation at the European Union and WIPO on copyright and AI policy, an online members directory, industry guidelines, and networking opportunities. Membership is open to trade associations, individuals, and companies active in visual media licensing.
Is CEPIC a public or private company?
CEPIC is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was CEPIC founded?
CEPIC was founded in 1993. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CEPIC based?
CEPIC is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does CEPIC make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Membership Fees are the primary driver. The others are annual Congress Event Revenue and event Sponsorships.
Who are CEPIC's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry) and IFRA (WAN-IFRA / World Association of News Publishers). Direct peers are PACA (Picture Archive Council of America), BVPA (Bundesverband professioneller Bildanbieter), BAPLA (British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies) and EANA (European Alliance of News Agencies). Emerging players are IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council), SNAP (Stock Artists Alliance) and INPA (International News Photography Association). European Magazine Media Association (EMMA) is listed as a regional player.
Does CEPIC have an API?
No public API is recorded for CEPIC.
What industry is CEPIC in?
CEPIC's product category is Trade Association Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGAGAB, Professional & Association Conferences, with a secondary code of MPAGAGAI, Legal & Compliance Conferences. Its NAICS code is 56192 and its SIC code is 2741.