Kopiosto

Kopiosto in brief

Kopiosto is the common copyright organization of authors, publishers and performing artists. A non-profit organization, Kopiosto administers the licensing of copyrighted works and delivers the levies collected to the authors of the works or their representatives. Kopiosto also provides information on copyright issues and advice to users of the works. Founded in 1978, Kopiosto comprises 44 member organizations covering every walk of culture and communications.

AVEK (The Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture) is affiliated to Kopiosto. Part of the funds are appropriated through AVEK into common purposes of authors.

Kopiosto values, vision and mission

The core value of Kopiosto is to promote creative work. The other Kopiosto values - Open, Proactive, Reliable - group around the core value. The Kopiosto core value manifests itself in for example the fact that the bulk (85%) of remunerations paid to Kopiosto are passed on to copyright owners. Openness, again, is reflected in the transparency of pricing for users. Reliability is proved by Kopiosto being one of the oldest copyright organizations of its kind, and its licensing policy is based on long-term co-operation with users of copyrighted works and their representatives. Kopiosto also has the ability to defend the principle of copyright under the harshest social pressure. Kopiosto strives at proactively establishing also for the digital world principles that acknowledge the validity of copyright.

Converging force

Through its member organizations, Kopiosto represents by proxy some 50,000 Finnish copyright owners. Kopiosto conducts negotiations with its members to define acceptable levels of revenue and its fair distribution between members.

Through the reciprocal agreements signed with its international counterparts, Kopiosto represents also international copyright owners of creative work.

Grants licences

Kopiosto grants collective licenses for the photocopying of printed material in educational institutions, public administration and enterprises. Licenses are granted also for the usage of recorded TV and radio programs in educational institutions, libraries and various institutions as well as the transmission of TV channels in cable and small antenna networks and their retransmission through radio links.

Distributes royalties

Kopiosto distributes the levies it collects to authors, performers and publishers.

Remunerations from photocopying are passed on via the member organizations mainly as grants. Publishers receive direct compensation. For example the Finlandia and Warelius Awards are funded with copyright levies collected by Kopiosto.

Remunerations for radio and TV programs Kopiosto passes on as personal compensation to the makers and performers of the programs. One such form of compensation is the levy charged for the private usage of copyrighted material. As for the transmission of TV programs in cable and small antenna networks, Kopiosto delivers the compensation to foreign TV companies, film producers and other copyright owners.

AVEK funds audiovisual program production and distribution with private usage levies. Also the further and complementing studies of AV professionals and, festivals and other audiovisual culture are funded this way.