UK and Australian Artists set to benefit from landmark Artist’s Resale Right development

DACS is pleased to announce a significant milestone in the global expansion of the Artist's Resale Right (ARR), benefiting both UK and Australian artists.

From 31 March 2024, Australian artists will become eligible for ARR royalties from resales occurring in the UK, while UK artists will also receive royalties for resales of their works in Australia.

This groundbreaking development stems from a recent trade agreement between the UK and Australia. Australia will broaden its list of qualifying nationals to include UK nationals, enabling UK artists and estates to receive ARR royalties for the first time for resales of their works in Australia. In turn, Australian artists and estates will now qualify for ARR in the UK, marking a pivotal moment in the global art landscape.

We are delighted with this development and the official recognition of reciprocity of the Artist's Resale Right between the UK and Australia, and we hope this to be the first of many such international developments. The expansion of ARR reflects our commitment to fostering fairness and equality within the art market and supporting artists worldwide. It represents a significant step towards creating a more equitable and collaborative global art ecosystem. We are looking forward to being able to collect resale royalties for Australian artists here in the UK and to receive such royalties for UK artists from Australia. - Christian Zimmermann, Chief Executive, DACS.

As the leading collecting society administering ARR in the UK, distributing over £10 million annually, DACS has been at the forefront of collecting ARR royalties for UK nationals and those from countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), since 2006. To date, DACS has distributed over £125 million in ARR royalties to more than 6,000 artists and estates.

DACS, in collaboration with its counterpart, Copyright Agency, will play a pivotal role in extending support to Australian artists. As the organisation overseeing the management of the ARR scheme in Australia, Copyright Agency's partnership with DACS promises to pave the way for increased opportunities for artists, particularly benefiting Aboriginal creators. This cooperative effort underscores a significant stride towards ensuring that Australian artists receive due recognition and compensation for their creative contributions, both domestically and internationally.

We’re delighted that the Government’s resale reciprocity announcement will provide opportunities for Australian artists to receive royalties from resales of their artworks in other countries, including the United Kingdom. The reciprocity launch comes amid growing popularity of Aboriginal art worldwide, particularly in Europe, so we’re excited to see the potential for more First Nations artists to benefit from this extension of the scheme. - Josephine Johnston, Chief Executive, Copyright Agency.

In addition to the development in Australia, there is an increasing global momentum surrounding ARR, with territories such as New Zealand and South Korea currently in the process of adopting ARR regulations. These developments will not only safeguard UK artists in these territories but also provide reciprocal benefits to nationals from these countries under the ARR Regulations in the UK.

Read the story on DACS' website.

Read about DACS' campaign for a global resale right.