Sacem, SACD, ADAGP: what collecting societies do

Sacem, SACD, Scam, ADAGP, SAIF, Sofia: these acronyms come up often when people talk about copyright in France. They are called authors' societies, or collective management organizations. Many creators wonder whether they need one, and how they differ from a service like Ipocamp.

What a collective management organization does

A collective management organization manages its members' rights with those who use their works. An author alone cannot negotiate with every radio station, TV channel, concert venue or platform. The organization does it for all its members.

Its role comes down to four tasks.

It authorizes the use of works, by negotiating terms and rates with broadcasters and other users.

It collects the sums owed by these users.

It distributes these sums among authors, according to the actual use of their works.

It defends its members' interests, for example by acting against unauthorized uses or by offering a legal service.

These organizations are governed by the French Intellectual Property Code. A commission attached to the French Court of Audit oversees their management.

The main societies in France

Each society covers a creative field. Among the best known:

Sacem, for music: songwriters, composers and music publishers.

SACD, for live performance and audiovisual works: theater, film, television, fiction.

Scam, for documentaries, reporting, journalism and multimedia works.

ADAGP, for the visual arts: painting, sculpture, illustration, design, photography.

SAIF, for still images, in particular photography and illustration.

Sofia, for books, in particular the public lending right.

There are also organizations for performers and producers, which manage rights close to copyright, known as related rights. To join, an author usually entrusts the society with managing some of their rights.

Note: the Société des gens de lettres, or SGDL, is an association that defends writers and offers a deposit service. Its role differs from that of a collective management organization.

What Ipocamp does

Ipocamp works in another area: proving and defending your creations.

Proof. Ipocamp timestamps your files within seconds, at every stage of creation. You can then show what you created, and when, on the day someone challenges it.

Insurance. With a subscription, insurance covers your defense costs in a dispute over a protected creation.

Legal support. Support from intellectual property experts helps you assess a situation and take action.

Ipocamp does not manage your rights with broadcasters and does not collect any money on your behalf. Your author income remains managed by you, or by your authors' society if you are a member.

Two complementary roles

An authors' society pays you when your work is used. Ipocamp helps you prove that the work is yours and defend it when it is copied.

Here is an example. A composer who is a Sacem member receives royalties when her songs are played on the radio. Before sending them to labels, she timestamps her demos on Ipocamp. If a very similar song comes out one day, she can show that her version existed first. She can also rely on the legal support and insurance included in her subscription.

These two steps do not replace each other. Many creators use both.

Several solutions exist to date a work. Our comparison presents them, and our guides cover manuscripts, scripts and music and logos, drawings and photos.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.