What we do
Founded 40 years ago, DACS is a not-for-profit visual artists’ and creators’ rights management organisation that champions, protects and manages the rights of artists, to maximise their royalties.
Every year, thousands of creators trust DACS to protect their rights and help them make money from their work.
Since 1984 DACS has been connecting artists, creators and beneficiaries with the people who want to use their work. We work with over 180,000 DACS members worldwide. We’re a collective management organisation (CMO) collecting and distributing royalties to artists, creators and their beneficiaries.
Through our services we:
- secure royalties on art re-sold by art market professionals | DACS Artist’s Resale Right
- distribute royalties from book, magazine, digital publication and TV use | DACS Payback
- help licence artworks, enabling copyright owners to earn | DACS Licensing
- share copyright information with everyone | Advice articles
DACS' advocacy work
From fair pay to Artificial Intelligence, we campaign for the protection of artists’ rights and royalties, on behalf of our members and the wider community of artists in the UK and internationally.
Sister societies
We are part of an international network of rights management organisations, representing over 180,000 artists in over 36 countries.
Organisations we’re a member of
As part of our work championing artist rights and royalties, DACS works closely with other organisations across the creative industries, arts and copyright community, throughout the UK and internationally.
DACS is a member of the following organisations:
- Alliance for Intellectual Property
- Audiovisual Licensing Agency (AVLA)
- British Copyright Council (BCC)
- Copyright Licensing Agency (CLA)
- Creative UK
- Creators' Rights Alliance (CRA)
- Educational Recording Agency (ERA)
- European Visual Artists (EVA)
- International Authors Forum (IAF)
- International Council of Creators of Graphic, Plastic and Photographic Arts (CIAGP)
- International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO)
- Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC)
- FRANK Fair Artists Pay
- International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC)
- Online Art (OLA)
Find out more
Have a question about licensing an artwork? Interested in becoming a DACS member?