Collective management organisations 

It is not always practical to individually negotiate the use of each work separately. For this reason, rightsholders have set up copyright collective management organisations (CMOs), with the task of safeguarding their interests and granting usage licences in certain situations.  

The activities of the CMOs are based on mandates given by the creators or rightsholders the CMO seeks to represent, through which rightsholders transfer their rights to the CMO’s management and monitoring. The CMOs grant licences for the use of works, collect fees for such use, and distribute the fees to rightsholders based on reports or surveys of usage. 

From the perspective of users of works, CMOs facilitate and simplify the acquisition of rights and the payment of fees to both domestic and foreign rightsholders. 

Collective management organisations (CMOs) representing different sectors in Ireland and providing licensing services are:

ICLA (Irish Copyright Licensing Agency) – for works consisting of text and still images

IMRO (Irish Music Rights Organisation) – for recorded music

IVARO (Irish Visual Artists Rights Organisation) – for visual works of art

MCPSI (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society) – for the work of composers and publishers of music

MPLC (Motion Picture Licensing Company) – for audiovisual material

NLI (Newspaper Licensing Ireland) – for the content of newspapers and some magazines

PPI (Phonographic Performance Ireland) – for recorded music on behalf of performers and record companies

RAAP (Recorded Artists Actors Performers) – for recorded performances on behalf of performers and proprietors of rights in performances