Claiming Royalties
You can claim Screenrights royalties by becoming a member (see Membership) and registering your entitlements to collect royalties for film, documentary and TV shows on MyScreenrights. Each time you register a claim you warrant to Screenrights that you are entitled to claim the royalties you have specified in your registration.
Considering whether you can claim royalties
In order to be entitled to claim Screenrights royalties you need to own or control the right to receive royalties for the use of the copyright material in the territory. Your rights period needs to cover the date of the copyright use. You may also need to consider whether you are still entitled to collect royalties now for a past rights period (this is known as your collection period).
Use is how the copyright has been exercised. The types of use that relate to Screenrights’ royalties are copying, communication and retransmission.
Date of copyright use is the date that copyright has been exercised and the royalty triggered. For instance, in the case of educational copying royalties this is the date that an educational institution made a copy of a film, TV show, documentary or other program.
Copyright material refers to the copyright components in a film, TV show, documentary or other screen project for which Screenrights pays royalties.
The territory is the country in which the exercise of copyright took place, which is either Australia or New Zealand for Screenrights’ royalties.
The rights period is the length of time that rights are held. Often the rights period is for the duration of the relevant copyright or in perpetuity, but can also be for a limited, specified period of time.
The collection period is the period of time in which you can receive royalty payments. Most commonly, where the rights period is for the duration of copyright the collection period is also for the duration of copyright. The collection period typically only becomes a consideration in circumstances where the rights period is limited. Can you continue to collect royalties that were earned during your rights period after the rights period has ended? If so, for how long?
Reviewing your agreements
Here are some questions that are helpful to consider when reviewing your agreements to assess whether you can claim some or all of Screenrights royalties:
Do I own or control one or more of the rights to the copyright materials in the film, TV show, documentary or other screen project?
Can I claim the royalties generated from the copying, communication or retransmission of the program?
Have I retained the right to collect secondary royalties?
Have I assigned my rights in part or in whole?
Have I appointed an agent to collect these royalties on my behalf?
What is my rights period? Is it for the entire duration of copyright? Or for a limited period?
Registration And Payment
Once you have reviewed your agreements and established that you hold the relevant rights, you can claim Screenrights royalties by becoming a member and registering your entitlements to collect royalties for films, documentaries and TV shows on MyScreenrights. When you are registering a program, you are warranting to Screenrights that you are entitled to claim the royalties you have specified in your registration.
We recommend registering your claims as soon as practicable after the film, TV show, documentary or other screen project has been released, or after you have received an assignment of rights or have been appointed to collect on another party’s behalf.
