What DACS does

DACS (Design and Artists Copyright Society) is a not-for-profit Collective Management Organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in London at 33 Old Bethnal Green Road. It champions, protects, and manages the intellectual property rights of visual artists, creators, and their beneficiaries, serving over 100,000 artists receiving royalties in 2024 and over 180,000 members across a 38-country sister society network. Its core services are Artist's Resale Right (ARR) royalty collection on gallery and dealer resales of £1,000 or above; Payback collective licensing, which distributes royalties collected from CLA, ERA, and NLA for secondary uses such as photocopying, scanning, and TV broadcast; and direct Copyright Licensing, where DACS brokers reproduction agreements on behalf of artists.

DACS retains a 14% administrative fee on Payback royalties (down from 25% in 2007) and 15% on other collective licensing schemes, reinvesting surplus into advocacy and member services. The organization operates the DACS Images digital platform, an image bank offering high-resolution files for 400+ artists and 600+ images from the Arts Council Collection, alongside a self-service Payback Portal where artists submit annual claims between January and April. Its technology stack is functional rather than differentiated: it centres on rights metadata, artist attribution databases, and claims-matching rather than proprietary AI.

Commercially, DACS generated 1,960 licensing agreements with 700+ customers in 2024 — including Penguin, Netflix, Christie's, Tate, Alexander McQueen, Liberty London, and King & McGaw — and in 2025 secured £1.9 million for artists through licensing while distributing £6.5 million via Payback. The organization is governed by a board chaired by Margaret Heffernan, led by CEO Christian Zimmermann (elected President of CISAC's OLA in July 2026), and is embedded in UK and international policy forums including APPG secretariats and CISAC, IFRRO, EVA, and Creative UK.

Name

DACS

Legal name

The Design and Artists Copyright Society

Website

https://dacs.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

DACS is a UK not-for-profit Collective Management Organization founded in 1984 that collects and distributes copyright royalties for over 180,000 visual artists and their beneficiaries across 38 countries. It operates Artist's Resale Right, Payback collective licensing, and direct copyright licensing services, retaining 14-15% admin fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Visual Artists Rights Management

NAICS

Agents and Managers for Artists, Athletes, Entertainers, and Other Public Figures (711410)

SIC

Patent Owners & Lessors (6794)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Licensing & Rights Monetization (UGC Licensing, Music/Video Rights) (MPACAFAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Contracting, Licensing & Rights Management (Music/Performance Releases) (HSACAHAM), Merchandising & D2C Management (Artists) (MPAIAGAI)

Keywords

• Artists rights management
• Visual arts licensing
• Copyright royalty collection
• Collective licensing services
• Artists resale right

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Artist's Resale Right (ARR): DACS secures royalty payments for artists and beneficiaries when their work is resold by galleries or art dealers for £1000 or over through the Artist's Resale Right scheme.
2. Collective Licensing / Payback: DACS distributes royalties collected from CLA (Copyright Licensing Agency), ERA (Educational Recording Agency), and other licensing agencies including NLA (Newspaper Licensing Agency) for secondary uses of artworks in books, magazines, TV programmes, photocopying, scanning, recording and retransmission. DACS deducts 14% admin fee from Payback royalties (reduced from 15% in 2023, down from 25% in 2007).
3. Copyright Licensing: DACS acts as a broker between artists and people who want to use their work, arranging licensing agreements for reproduction in adverts, merchandise, and other commercial uses. In 2024, they arranged over 1,960 licences for members and worked with over 700 customers. In 2025, DACS secured £1.9 million for artists through licensing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DACS is a not-for-profit collective management organization (CMO) that champions, protects, and manages the rights of visual artists and creators, collecting and distributing royalties on their behalf. Its core offerings cover Artist's Resale Right (ARR) royalty collection when artworks are resold for £1,000 or more, Payback collective licensing royalties for secondary uses such as photocopying, scanning, and broadcast, and a direct copyright licensing brokerage service for commercial reproduction of artworks. DACS represents over 180,000 artists, creators, and beneficiaries worldwide and operates the DACS Images digital image bank for licensing access.

Product overview

DACS is a not-for-profit visual artists' rights management organization founded in 1984, operating as a collective management organization (CMO) that champions, protects and manages artists' rights to maximize their royalties. The company offers four interconnected core services: Artist's Resale Right (ARR) for royalty payments on artwork resales; DACS Payback for collective licensing royalties from secondary uses such as photocopying and broadcast; DACS Licensing as a broker service for artwork reproduction permissions; and DACS Images as an image bank platform. In 2024, DACS paid £17.6 million in royalties to over 100,000 artists and estates, arranged 1,960 licences, and worked with over 700 customers, representing 102,500 artists, creators and beneficiaries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DACS Payback: Annual royalty payment service for artists whose work was published in books, magazines or used in TV programmes.
• DACS Images

Products and services

• Artist's Resale Right (ARR) Royalty payment service enabling artists and their beneficiaries to receive royalty payments when their artwork is resold for £1,000 or more by galleries or art dealers. DACS collects the ARR payment from the gallery or art dealer and distributes it to the artist or their estate.
• DACS Payback (Collective Licensing) Annual royalty distribution service collecting payments from CLA (Copyright Licensing Agency), ERA (Educational Recording Agency), NLA (Newspaper Licensing Agency) and other licensing agencies for secondary uses of published visual artwork, including photocopying, scanning, TV broadcast, recording, retransmission, and digital publications. Artists register, submit claims between January and April, and receive annual payments in Autumn.
• DACS Licensing Broker service connecting artists, creators and beneficiaries with people who want to use their work. DACS handles negotiations, licensing agreements, and royalty collection for artwork reproduction in adverts, merchandise, books, TV programmes and other commercial uses, providing access to over 100,000 copyright holders.
• DACS Images Digital image bank providing high-resolution image files for work by over 400 artists and creators, with over 600 images from the Arts Council Collection available for licensing. Many images are artist-reviewed and ready for licensing, enabling licensees to search for and obtain rights-cleared works.

Quantifiable outcome

• In 2024, paid £17.6 million in royalties to over 100,000 artists and estates
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• APPG for FreelancerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2026DACS jointly provides secretariat for the APPG for Freelancers alongside ALCS, Bectu, Directors UK, and Freelancers Make Theatre Work. Group focuses on creative industries freelance issues.
• Arts Council CollectioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 600 images from the Arts Council Collection available to license through DACS Images. The Collection holds more than 8,500 artworks by over 2,200 artists. Licensing fees support both the rights holders and ongoing management of the publicly funded collection.
• CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS CEO Christian Zimmermann elected as President of OLA (Online Art), part of CISAC network. DACS participates in CISAC General Assemblies and international rights management discussions.
• Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA)coreOthersDACS receives Payback royalties from CLA which collects royalties for photocopying and scanning of published works. Artists cannot collect these royalties directly.
• Educational Recording Agency (ERA)coreOthersDACS receives Payback royalties from ERA for educational recording and retransmission. One of several licensing agencies DACS collects from for collective distribution.
• Alliance for Intellectual PropertymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS is a member of the Alliance for Intellectual Property, working with other organizations across creative industries to protect IP rights.
• European Visual Artists (EVA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS is a member of EVA, the European umbrella organization for visual artists' rights management societies.
• IFRRO (International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS is a member of IFRRO, the international federation for collective management of reproduction rights.
• Online Art (OLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS CEO Christian Zimmermann elected as President of OLA. OLA is part of the CISAC network focusing on online art rights.
• Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS joined GCC and pledged to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030. DACS promotes GCC Artist Toolkit and sustainability in the arts sector.
• Creative UKmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerDACS partners with Creative UK on policy advocacy and participates in Cultural and Creative Industries Pavilion at party conferences.
• British Copyright Council (BCC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS is a member of BCC, working on copyright policy and protection for creators.
• Creators' Rights Alliance (CRA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS is a member of CRA, coalition working for creators' rights including protection from AI training use.
• International Authors Forum (IAF)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS participates in IAF for international author and creator rights coordination.
• FRANK Fair Artists PayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS is a member of FRANK, coalition advocating for fair artist pay.
• APPG for Visual Arts and ArtistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS is one of 3 secretariat organizations (alongside a-n and CVAN) for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Visual Arts and Artists. Provides briefings and evidence on issues affecting visual artists.
• a-n (The Artists' Information Company)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS works with a-n on joint advocacy for visual artists, APPG secretariat, Visual Arts Manifesto, and UK Visual Arts Support Ecology Summit.
• CVAN (Contemporary Visual Arts Network)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS collaborates with CVAN on policy advocacy, APPG secretariat, Visual Arts Manifesto, and UK Visual Arts Support Ecology Summit.
• Sister Societies NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS is part of international network representing 180,000 artists in 38 countries. Includes sister societies such as: DALRO (South Africa), Copyright Agency (Australia), ARS (USA), ADAGP (France), BILDKUNST (Germany), SIAE (Italy), and 30+ others globally.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ADAGP: ADAGP is the French visual artists' rights management society, part of DACS's sister society network. Both organizations operate as collective management organizations for visual artists with similar ARR, collective licensing, and copyright licensing mandates.
• SIAE: SIAE is the Italian authors' and publishers' society managing rights including visual arts. As part of DACS's sister society network, SIAE shares the CMO model for collecting and distributing royalties to creators.
• Copyright Agency (Australia): Copyright Agency is Australia's visual artists' rights management organization, part of DACS's sister society network. Both organizations serve similar CMO functions for visual artists in their respective markets.
• DALRO: DALRO is the South African Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation, managing visual artists' rights and part of DACS's sister society network. Both organizations share the CMO model for royalty collection and distribution.
• Artist Rights Society (ARS): ARS is the US equivalent of DACS, serving as a fine artists' rights management organization representing over 60,000 visual artists. Both organizations serve as sister societies for collecting royalties across international borders, making ARS the most direct comparable peer.
• BILDKUNST: BILDKUNST is the German visual artists' rights organization, part of DACS's international sister society network. Both organizations manage visual artists' rights through collective licensing and reciprocal arrangements across 38 countries.

Broad incumbents

• Bridgeman Images: Bridgeman Images is a major commercial art licensing platform providing reproduction rights for cultural and historical images. While commercially focused rather than artist-managed, Bridgeman operates in the same visual art licensing space as DACS Images.
• Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA): CLA is a UK licensing agency that collects and distributes royalties from which DACS receives Payback royalties. CLA operates as a complementary CMO focused on reproduction rights, making it a key partner and adjacent peer in the UK rights ecosystem.
• ALCS (Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society): ALCS is a UK-based CMO for writers, with DACS and ALCS jointly providing secretariat for the APPG for Freelancers. While ALCS focuses on text authors rather than visual artists, both organizations operate in the UK rights management space with similar advocacy roles.
• Getty Images: Getty Images is the largest commercial visual content licensing platform globally. While Getty focuses on stock photography rather than fine art rights management, it represents an adjacent player in the broader visual content licensing market where DACS competes.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/DACS_uk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/design-and-artists-copyright-society-dacs
• Instagraminstagram.com/dacs_uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DACS