German Public Lending Right (PLR)
What is German PLR?
We receive public lending right royalties from our German sister society for works published in German books. We distribute this to our members every year through the German PLR.
How it works
- Complete a German PLR claim for by 23 August 2024.
- We will send the claim information to our German sister society, VG Bildkunst.
- VG Bildkunst will compare our claim information with their lending data and assess if a royalty payment is due.
- If there is a match, VG Bildkunst will pay us a royalty which we will distribute to you.
For this campaign, we can only accept books published in 2020, 2021, 2022, or 2023.
What you can, and cannot, claim for
Your work must have featured in a book published by a German publisher, with a print run of at least 250 copies (or 1,000 copies where the book is wordless picture book).
You can apply for all types of published artwork, including photography, illustration, caricature, cartoon images, logos, infographics, title design and graphic design.
We accept a maximum of 200 artistic works per book.
You can apply for German-language publications, and for uses of scientific works for English-language publications.
You can claim for books from the year of publication, up to four years thereafter. For example, a book published in 2024 will be eligible up until 2028. You can no longer claim for the book once the four years have elapsed, unless it is a new edition.
A new edition is defined as content and/or design that has changed significantly in comparison to the original version. You cannot apply for reprinted books e.g. where the content and design remain unchanged.
If you have both authored and illustrated a scientific or non-fiction/specialist book, then you cannot claim for this publication under this scheme.
Making a German PLR claim
List past use of your work in books, providing the following information:
- Name of publisher, year of publication and ISBN
- Language type – German or other
- Type of book (children’s, non-fiction, art, school or scientific book)
- List separately number of photos on the front cover and inside book
- Do the same for visual works e.g. illustration, comics and graphics
- Confirm whether you have designed the book’s overall graphic design and/or the title design.
If you have previously claimed and have no new works to add, there is no need to complete a new form. We will automatically submit your claim for you.
If you have had works featured in books published between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023, complete a new form.
After completing the claim form, email to it back to us at payback@dacs.org.uk
Find out more about ISBNs
To help you research German language or published books, we recommend using the German versions of Google and Amazon.
How to get in touch with us
Email the DACS Payback team or call 0207 780 7580.