Get paid when your work is reproduced on the secondary art market. There is no cost to sign up and you maintain 100% ownership of your work.
Negotiating and managing permission to use New Zealand art for commercial or promotional purposes isn't always easy. Our auction house licensing scheme helps you get paid when your art is reproduced in advertising and promotional materials on the secondary art market. We take care of negotiating terms of use, sending quotes and invoices to the organisation using your work, and arrange payment to you.
There are already more than 80 dedicated agencies operating in over 60 countries including Australia, Canada, USA and most of Europe and now it is New Zealand's turn!
Get paid when your work is reproduced.
To register for this service you will first need to sign a Rights Agreement with us. There is no cost to sign up, the agreement is non-exclusive, and you maintain 100% ownership of your work. In a nutshell, the agreement grants us permission to arrange and manage licensing on your behalf allowing you to get on with creating. So, what are you waiting for?
Our auction house licensing scheme is a blanket licence. When you sign up you agree to one, clear set of terms. These terms govern every instance of use of your work by licensed auction houses. Find out more here >
Auction houses with current licence agreements are: Art+Object, International Art Centre and Webb's.
Here's an overview of what's covered under an auction house licence.
What kinds of artwork are covered?
- Paintings
- Prints
- Photographs
- Drawings
- Diagrams
- Engravings
- Etchings
- Lithographs
- Sculptures
- Collages
When do organisations need a licence?
- Promotion: if they plan to use an image of an artwork to promote an auction. Including posters, brochures, catalogues or online
- Advertising: when they are creating advertising that incorporates or even references a work of art
- Products: when they want to incorporate an artwork into the design of a product that will be sold or used to promote a business
Pricing and charges
We are a not for profit organisation and don't charge artists a membership fee. Instead, we deduct a flat rate of 20% from all licensing transactions, to cover our running costs. The remaining 80% is paid directly to the artist.
MyCopyright makes it easy
MyCopyright opens up a whole new world to manage your copyright. Through this online service you can:
- activate distribution payments from us
- keep your account information up to date
- verify your bank account details securely
On signing a rights agreement with us, we will provide you with sign in details. If you’re an existing user of MyCopyright and have questions or need support, contact us or download this handy User Guide to get you started.
You're in good hands.
We have been working with New Zealand authors and creatives in the publishing industry for over 25 years and we're excited to be able to offer the same licensing management services to visual artists. Read more about us here >>
Do you want to better understand your creative rights?
Sign up for our free, one hour, Creative Rights for Creative People workshop. Funded by Manatū Taonga Ministry for Culture and Heritage and offered throughout 2023, these workshops provide creative people knowledge and understanding of creative rights in Aotearoa. Find out more here >>
