DACS

What DACS does

DACS (The Design & Artists Copyright Society) is a UK not-for-profit collective management organization founded in 1984 and headquartered in London. It manages visual artists' copyrights, licensing, and collective royalties on behalf of over 100,000 artists, photographers, illustrators, and their beneficiaries, operating three core revenue streams: (1) Artist's Resale Right (ARR) royalty collection and distribution on qualifying resales of artwork by galleries and auction houses at £1,000 or above, governed by a cumulative statutory scale with a £12,500 cap; (2) the Payback collective licensing scheme, which distributes annual royalties to rights holders when their published works are photocopied, scanned, or broadcast on UK television; and (3) Copyright Licensing brokerage, arranging reproduction rights for advertising, merchandise, publications, and fashion collaborations.

DACS delivers these services through a portfolio of digital platforms, including the DACS website and self-service portals for ARR registration, Payback claims, and licensing requests, the DACS Images image bank covering over 400 artists, the dedicated Artimage platform for modern and contemporary art (with over 500 images from the Howard Hodgkin estate), the ARR Royalty Calculator, an Artist Search tool, and the Bronzechain blockchain-based provenance scheme developed with Verisart. The organization operates a multi-channel go-to-market spanning direct membership recruitment, relationships with auction houses and galleries, fashion and publishing licensing clients (e.g., LOEWE, Dior, FOLK, Penguin Books), and an active parliamentary and policy advocacy function through the APPG for Freelancers and the APPG for Visual Arts and Artists.

The organization is governed as a company limited by guarantee, funded through retained portions of royalties collected and licensing fees, and reinvests in advocacy, notably in UK copyright and AI policy. It is a member of CISAC and IFRRO, and sits alongside ALCS, ACS, Bectu, Directors UK, and Freelancers Make Theatre Work in joint secretariats for creative-sector policy. As of 2025, DACS distributes nearly £6.2 million annually through Payback to over 110,000 creators and has cumulatively distributed more than £100 million in ARR royalties since 2006.

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

11–50 employees

Short description

DACS is a UK not-for-profit collective management organization founded in 1984 that collects and distributes royalties, licenses copyrights, and advocates for the rights of over 100,000 visual artists, creators, and their beneficiaries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

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) Management: DACS collects and distributes royalty payments to artists and beneficiaries when their works are resold for £1000 or more by art market professionals. The cumulative royalty scale ranges from 4% (on first £50,000) down to 0.25% (above £500,000), capped at £12,500 per transaction.
2. Collective Licensing (Payback): Annual royalty payments to artists, photographers, and illustrators when their published works are photocopied, scanned, or broadcast on TV in the UK. DACS collects fees from users of published visual content and distributes royalties to rights holders.
3. Copyright Licensing Services: DACS acts as a broker between artists and those who want to use their work, setting up licensing agreements for reproduction in advertisements, merchandise, publications, and other commercial uses. They access over 100,000 copyright holders and provide high-resolution image files through DACS Images.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DACS is a not-for-profit collective management organisation that collects and distributes Artist's Resale Right (ARR) royalties and Payback collective licensing royalties on behalf of visual artists, photographers, illustrators and their estates. It also acts as a licensing broker, arranging reproduction rights agreements between artists and commercial users such as publishers, fashion brands and advertisers, supported by the DACS Images image bank and the Artimage digital licensing platform.

Product overview

DACS (Design & Artists Copyright Society) is a not-for-profit rights management organization founded in 1984 offering a portfolio of interconnected services for artists. The core offerings include Artist's Resale Right (ARR) for royalty collection on artwork resales, Collective Licensing through the Payback scheme for secondary uses, and Copyright Licensing brokerage for reproduction rights. Supporting these are digital platforms DACS Images (image bank with 400+ artists), Artimage (licensing platform for modern/contemporary art), the Artist Search tool, and the ARR Royalty Calculator. The Bronzechain initiative, developed with Verisart, uses blockchain for bronze sculpture provenance verification. DACS represents over 100,000 artists and distributes royalties to tens of thousands of creators annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Artimage: DACS' digital platform dedicated to sourcing and licensing exceptional modern and contemporary art images, with over 500 images available from artists and estates.
• Payback
• DACS Images

Products and services

• Artist's Resale Right (ARR) Royalty collection and distribution service ensuring artists and beneficiaries receive payments when their artwork is resold for £1,000 or more by galleries or art dealers. DACS manages compliance with the UK ARR Regulations 2006, applies the statutory cumulative royalty scale (4% on the first £50,000 down to 0.25% above £500,000, capped at £12,500 per sale), and distributes royalties to over 100,000 artists and estates.
• Payback (Collective Licensing) Annual royalty payment scheme distributing collective licensing royalties to artists, illustrators and photographers when their works have been published in UK books, magazines, photocopied, scanned or broadcast on television. DACS collects fees from users of published visual content and distributes royalties to rights holders.
• Copyright Licensing

Quantifiable outcome

• £100 million in ARR royalties distributed since 2006
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS is a member of CISAC, which brings together authors' societies from around the world representing over 5 million creators. DACS CEO Christian Zimmermann was elected President of OLA (Organisatie LidmaatschapsAdministraties) in 2026, championing creators' rights globally through CISAC participation.
• IFRRO (International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS participates in IFRRO activities and meetings alongside organizations from around the world to highlight the rights of artists. IFRRO supports collective licensing frameworks for reproduction rights internationally.
• VG Bild-Kunst (German Collecting Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between DACS and German collecting society VG Bild-Kunst enables UK artists who have had work published in German language books to claim royalties.
• ACS (Artists' Collecting Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS and ACS jointly brought legal action against art dealer Ivor Braka to enforce ARR compliance, representing both organizations' members. The partnership demonstrates united action to uphold artists' resale rights.
• VerisartminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS and Verisart launched Bronzechain, a scheme combining traditional hallmarking with blockchain technology to guarantee quality and provenance of fine art bronze sculpture.
• Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS joined the GCC and pledged to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030. Partnership focuses on environmental sustainability and climate action within the arts sector.
• BectucoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint secretariat for APPG for Freelancers along with ALCS, DACS, Directors UK, and Freelancers Make Theatre Work to advocate for freelance workers in creative industries.
• ALCS (Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint secretariat for APPG for Freelancers to represent freelance creators across creative sectors including visual arts and writing.
• Directors UKcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint secretariat for APPG for Freelancers working alongside DACS, ALCS, Bectu, and Freelancers Make Theatre Work.
• Freelancers Make Theatre WorkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint secretariat for APPG for Freelancers, born from the pandemic to support performing arts freelancers and call for structural change.
• LOEWEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFashion brand collaboration with Estate of Bernard Leach, facilitated through DACS licensing to bring artistic vision to fashion collections.
• DiorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFashion collaboration with Charleston and Estate of Duncan Grant, with DACS facilitating licensing for Dior's 2023 menswear collection.
• King & McGawminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorArt publishing company producing exclusive limited edition artist prints under license through DACS, including Patrick Caulfield prints and works from over 400 artists in DACS Images.
• CVAN (Contemporary Visual Arts Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in APPG for Visual Arts and Artists secretariat alongside DACS and a-n, advocating for visual arts policy in UK Parliament.
• a-n (The Artists Information Company)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint secretariat for APPG for Visual Arts and Artists with CVAN and DACS, working to deepen parliamentary understanding of artists' economic challenges.
• Smart Fund CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDACS joined coalition of arts organizations supporting the Smart Fund campaign, which could generate £250-300 million annually for visual artists and cultural industries through a proposed levy on digital devices.
• ArtimagecoreTechnology or IntegrationDACS digital platform for sourcing and licensing exceptional modern and contemporary art images. Provides access to over 500 images from artist estates including Howard Hodgkin.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• SIAE (Società Italiana degli Autori ed Editori): Italian collective management organization for authors and publishers across multiple creative disciplines. Performs analogous royalty collection and rights administration functions to DACS in the Italian market and is a fellow CISAC member.
• PRS for Music: UK collective rights management organization for music creators, performing analogous royalty collection and distribution functions to DACS but for music compositions and sound recordings rather than visual arts. DACS and PRS are fellow CISAC members.
• Bridgeman Images: Commercial art licensing platform providing access to museum, gallery, and artist collections for reproduction. Operates in an adjacent space to DACS Images and Artimage on a commercial basis, representing a partial substitute for rights-managed licensing.
• ALCS (Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society): UK collective rights management organization for writers, performing similar royalty collection and distribution functions to DACS but for literary works. ALCS is a joint secretariat partner with DACS on the APPG for Freelancers.
• Getty Images: Global commercial visual content licensing platform providing stock photography and editorial imagery licensing at scale. Operates in the same end market as DACS Images but on a commercial, for-profit basis with millions of images rather than a curated rights-managed catalog.

Direct peers

• ADAGP: French collective rights management organization for visual artists providing copyright licensing, royalty collection, and ARR administration. ADAGP is the direct French-market equivalent of DACS and a fellow CISAC member.
• Bildrecht: Austrian collective management organization for visual artists and photographers, providing similar rights management, licensing, and royalty distribution services to DACS in the Austrian market.
• VG Bild-Kunst: German collective management organization for visual artists, covering reproduction rights, ARR, and participation royalties. Has a reciprocal partnership with DACS enabling UK artists to claim royalties from German-language publications, demonstrating direct operational alignment.
• ACS (Artists' Collecting Society): UK-based collective rights management organization for visual artists, providing ARR royalty collection and copyright licensing. ACS has jointly brought legal action with DACS against art dealer Ivor Braka to enforce ARR compliance, indicating direct operational overlap.
• SOFAM: Belgian collective management organization for visual artists, providing copyright licensing and royalty collection services analogous to DACS in the Belgian market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/DACSSforArtists
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/design-and-artists-copyright-society-dacs
• Instagraminstagram.com/dacsforartists

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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