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| Verwertungsgesellschaft Wort | |
|---|---|
| Name | Verwertungsgesellschaft Wort |
| Formation | 1958 |
| Headquarters | Bonn |
| Type | Collective management organisation |
| Purpose | Copyright administration for authors and publishers |
| Membership | Authors, publishers |
| Leader title | Vorstand |
Verwertungsgesellschaft Wort is a German collective rights management organization founded in 1958 to administer secondary exploitation and reprography rights for textual works. It operates within the German legal landscape alongside international frameworks, interacting with publishers, authors, courts, and other collecting societies to license, monitor and distribute remuneration for uses of written works. The body engages with national institutions and pan-European networks to implement rulings and directives affecting remuneration for newspapers, journals, books and digital reproductions.
The organization was established in the Federal Republic period following developments in postwar copyright practice alongside institutions such as the Deutscher Bundestag, Bundesverfassungsgericht, and cultural bodies in Bonn and Berlin. Early decades involved coordination with the Verwertungsgesellschaft der Musikallianten and exchanges with publishing houses like Bertelsmann, Holtzbrinck, and Brockhaus. In the 1970s and 1980s consequential interactions included disputes adjudicated by the Bundesgerichtshof and policy discussions influenced by legislatures in North Rhine-Westphalia and federal ministries in Germany. The 1990s and 2000s saw adaptation to digital transformations driven by platforms such as Google, institutions like the European Commission, and international fora including the World Intellectual Property Organization. Landmark moments involved interpretation of statutes alongside rulings from the Europäischer Gerichtshof and participation in pan-European coalitions such as CISAC and collaborations with societies like VG Wort counterparts in France, United Kingdom, and Spain.
Its mandate derives from provisions in the Urheberrechtsgesetz as interpreted by decisions of the Bundesgerichtshof and influenced by directives from the European Union and judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union. The organisation implements statutory remuneration schemes related to reprography, private copying levies, and secondary uses, interacting with ministries such as the Bundesministerium der Justiz and regulatory procedures tied to the Landgericht and Amtsgericht systems. Its purpose includes collective licensing for print and digital uses, enforcement actions in coordination with prosecutors and civil courts, and adaptation to pan-European instruments negotiated at the European Commission and debated in assemblies like the Council of the European Union.
Membership comprises authors, publishers, academic institutions, and estates, with governance structures including a supervisory board, executive board, and general assembly reflecting stakeholders from publishing houses such as Springer Nature, Wiley, Oxford University Press and authors affiliated with unions like Ver.di. Governance has been shaped by precedents from trade associations like the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels and oversight expectations similar to those applied to societies such as GEMA and VG Bild-Kunst. Internal elections, transparency obligations and statutory audits involve external auditors, parliamentary inquiries by the Deutscher Bundestag and occasional scrutiny by competition authorities including the Bundeskartellamt.
The society administers rights covering reprography, secondary publication, reprographic copying in educational settings, and remunerations for digital excerpting used by platforms including Google Books and academic services provided by JSTOR and Project MUSE. Licensing practices interface with collective bargaining by publishers such as Reed Elsevier and agreements that reflect standards seen in transactions involving The New York Times, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and academic presses like Cambridge University Press. It issues blanket licences, individual licences, and distributes fees collected from universities like Universität Heidelberg, libraries such as the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, and commercial reprographic services.
Distribution formulas allocate proceeds among authors, publishers and heirs, using sample-based measurement methods comparable to methodologies discussed by organisations such as CISAC and academic studies from Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition. Royalties are apportioned after administrative deductions and audited against standards used by societies like PRS for Music and ASCAP. Payments reach stakeholders including independent writers represented by associations such as the Syndicat National de l'Édition and research organisations like the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, with periodic redistribution adjustments subject to rulings from the Bundesgerichtshof and policy guidance from the European Commission.
The organisation has faced criticism over transparency, allocation keys, and perceived favoritism toward large publishers such as Axel Springer SE and Gruner + Jahr, provoking debates involving civil liberties advocates like Reporter ohne Grenzen and academic critics at institutions including Universität Leipzig. Legal challenges have been mounted referencing judgments from the Court of Justice of the European Union and controversies tied to licensing of snippets in services like Google News and reuse by aggregators like Facebook, prompting parliamentary questions in the Deutscher Bundestag and investigative reporting by outlets such as Der Spiegel and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
It engages in bilateral and multilateral agreements with counterparts including Sociedad General de Autores y Editores, SACD, and PRS for Music, aligning practice with treaties administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization and negotiations within the framework of the European Union. Cross-border disputes have involved litigation that referenced the Court of Justice of the European Union and cooperative arrangements for repertory sharing with societies operating in Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, and Netherlands. The society participates in international conferences alongside bodies like the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations and interacts with global publishers including Hachette Livre and Penguin Random House on licensing strategies.
Category:Copyright collecting societies Category:Non-profit organisations based in Germany