Who can become a member?
To become a member, you must be
- an author
- a successor in title (heir) or an authorised agent of an author
- a picture/photo agency or archive
Authors can choose between two professional groups:
- Professional group I – Visual artists (e.g. painter, sculptor), who assign their rights in full.
- Professional group II – Photographers, caricaturists, designers, who assign those rights that cannot be enforced individually.
- Professional group III – Film authors and producers of documentary films
Can a company established under civil law (GbR) or a team of artists become a member?
As the German Copyright Act stipulates that copyrights cannot be held by a legal entity, but only by individual persons who have created a work, not only is it necessary for the team, the GbR, etc. to conclude an administration agreement with VG Bild-Kunst, but also for the individual members of the team or group of artists to do so.
How do I become a member?
By concluding an administration agreement. The agreement can be requested online. It will be sent to you by post, as the original documents are needed to conclude the agreement.
In addition to this we need appropriate documents that confirm the data in the administration agreement. An appropriate document is for example a copy of the identity card (Attention : not relevant data, in particular the authorisation number, shall in any case be blackened!)
In the case of legal entities (e.g. GbR, photo agency) official documentary evidence of conducting a business is required.
How do I get an author’s number and a password for registration?
How do I register my professional name or pseudonym?
As a general rule, the administration agreement is only concluded under your legal name. If you have your professional name entered in your identity card, then this name may be used in the administration agreement. A corresponding copy of the identity card is then required. If correspondence is generally to be conducted only under your professional name, then a written note to this effect must be attached. Pseudonyms must be notified in writing.
What has to be done, if the author or the successor in title has died?
To continue or terminate the administration agreement, documentary evidence in the form of a will or inheritance certificate (as a copy) is required. If it is a matter of joint heirs, confirmation signed by all the heirs must be presented, showing who will represent the rights of the community of heirs vis-à-vis VG Bild-Kunst.