DACS - Design and Artists Copyright Society

DACS welcome Lords report backing creators’ rights in AI and copyright inquiry - DACS The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee publishes its report on AI and copyright, expressing concerns over the impact to artists.

Read more about the report and what it means for creators here:

The report follows an extensive inquiry into large language models and generative AI, during which the committee heard oral and written evidence from creators, technology companies and legal experts and collecting societies, including DACS.

Latest AI update 📣📰

Last week, the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee published its report on AI and copyright, expressing concerns over the impact to the creative industries.

What would a fairer future for women artists actually look like - and how do we get there? 📢

Whilst the median income for visual artists is a disappointing £12,500 (a 47% decrease since 2010), it's an even bleaker picture for women artists. In fact, women typically earn 40% less than men from their self-employed earnings as a visual artist at just £7,500 a year on average 📉

ℹ️ Findings from the UK Visual Artists’ Earnings and Contracts Report 2024 by @create-glasgow.bsky.social, @glasgow.ac.uk and commissioned by @dacs.org.uk.

This #InternationalWomensDay, we're asking what more can be done to level the playing field and create more opportunities for women to sustain creative careers in 2026.

#WomenArtists #SupportArtists #PayArtists

DACS celebrates 100 years of CISAC and a century of protecting creators’ rights alongside a global network - DACS This week, DACS CEO Christian Zimmermann joined international partners in Sydney to celebrate 100 years of CISAC and APRA AMCOS.

Read more here:

DACS CEO Christian Zimmermann joined global partners in Sydney to mark this milestone, with the meeting bringing together the CISAC Board of Directors, representing 228 societies across 111 countries.

Thank you for having us!

Celebrating 100 years of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) and the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) - a century of protecting creators’ rights worldwide 🥳

Image: © Tori Hyland

Dame Tracey Emin - DACS Dame Tracey Emin makes work in a wide range of media including painting, drawing, film, photography, sewn appliqué, sculpture and neon text. Her art is primarily expressionistic, a cypher for memories and emotions that can be frank and poetic, intimate and universal.Using her own experience – and frequently her own body – as source material for the work, she explores ideas of self-portraiture and narrative disclosure, both intimately bound up with her own biography. Emin grew up in the seaside resort of Margate and her work often refers to traumatic episodes from her childhood as well as to her chaotic teenage years.She anecdotally recounts episodes from these years in a unique form of confessional art that has a non-voyeuristic intimacy since her stories are neither tragic nor sentimental and often deeply resonate with their audience.Dame Tracey Emin is represented by White Cube

We’re proud to host over 450 images by Dame Tracey Emin on DACS Images, our licensing platform - many of which reference works featured in this landmark exhibition. Explore the full collection here:

Tracey Emin: A Second Life at the Tate Modern showcases 40 years of her confessional practice spanning across textiles, painting, sculpture, installation and everything in-between, including the iconic and Turner Prize nominated work, 'My Bed', 1998.

In case you haven't heard already (who hasn't?) there's a major retrospective exhibition that's just opened on the bankside of the River Thames 📢

🖼️ My Bed, 1998 © Dame Tracey Emin. All rights reserved, DACS Images. Photo: Prudence Cuming Associates Ltd. Image courtesy Saatchi Gallery, London.

First resale, first royalties: Lewis Brander on the Artist’s Resale Right and the life of a painting - DACS Artist Lewis Brander reflects the painting that introduced him to DACS and the Artist's Resale Right for the first time.

Catch up with the full interview on our website:

As part of our 20th celebrations, we spoke to Lewis at his Acme Haggerston studio to hear more about the story behind the work, how he discovered DACS, and why ARR remains vital for artists today.

📷 Lewis Brander in his London studio, November 2022. Photo © Jack Elliott Edwards

Lewis Brander received his first Artist's Resale Right royalty in 2025 when a painting made during his time in Athens, unexpectedly resurfaced on the secondary market.

🖼️ George Karelias, 2020-2022, oil on flax, 50 x 40 cm Photo: Lewis Brander © 2026 Lewis Brander. All Rights Reserved, DACS Images.

Protecting your work from AI training: why it matters and how to take control - DACS A guide to protecting your work from AI training: covering the practical steps you can take to limit or opt out of AI training.

Make sure to read the online guide in full here:

Because of this, we want to explain what that involves, how it could affect your copyright and/or personal data, and the practical steps you can take to limit or opt out of AI training.

Over the past year, we’ve seen many social media sites and other platform services update the language used in their terms and policies, to reflect the rising popularity of AI.

The Art Newspaper discusses the Artist's Resale Right journey on it's 20th anniversary - DACS The Art Newspaper asks how successful has ARR been in light of it's 20th anniversary in a recent article.

Read more here:

Thoughtful coverage like this helps build understanding of how ARR works, who it supports, and why it continues to matter in the UK and beyond.

We’re glad to see ARR’s story reaching wider audiences at a time when conversations around fair pay, creative livelihoods and the long‑term value of visual art are more important than ever.

The article also highlights the role of DACS in collecting and distributing resale royalties in the UK, which have returned more than £144 million to artists and estates.

This week, The Art Newspaper marked the 20th anniversary of the Artist’s Resale Right with a detailed look at its impact over the past two decades - from early resistance to growing acceptance, global momentum and the challenges that still lie ahead.

Twenty years of the Artist’s Resale Right: In conversation with Sir Chris Bryant - DACS Sir Chris Bryant speaks with DACS on his experience of the UK's ARR campaign and why it still matters today.

Read the full interview on our website here:

Last week marked 20 years of the Artist’s Resale Right in the UK, with over £144 million paid back to artists and estates 💙

"You don't often get to be involved in a campaign that really pays off so evidently and puts money into a bunch of people's pockets..." - Sir Chris Bryant 💰🎨

Sir Chris Bryant MP speaking at the Artist's Resale Right reception in the House of Lords. Photo: Matt Crossick

Publishing - DACS What’s possible with DACS image licensing? – Publishing

Find out what else is possible with licensing on our website 🔗:

Last year, Penguin Random House licensed works by Vanessa Bell for their Virginia Woolf series, drawing on the original texts and featuring Bell’s original cover designs. Bell was not only an artist, interior designer and member of the the Bloomsbury Group - but she was also Woolf’s sister.

DACS have facilitated many publishing projects in their time; this is just one example from the archives! 🔍📚

🖼️ Virginia Woolfe Series: Mrs Dalloway, A Room of One's Own and To The Lighthouse © Estate of Vanessa Bell. All rights reserved, DACS. Image courtesy of Penguin Random House