How collective licensing fits into the social economy


What is social economy?

A social enterprise is a type of organization whose mission focuses on meeting the needs of members or communities. This social economy is different from the profit-making private sector.

In other words, it comprises enterprises carrying on economic activities for social purposes, not only monetary profit.

Enterprises in the social economy include cooperatives, foundations, non-profit organizations and associations. The values most often associated with those enterprises are solidarity, equity and democracy.

A widespread model in Quebec

There are approximately 11,200 social enterprises in Quebec, with about 220,000 employees generating an aggregate business volume of $47.8 billion.

Chantier.ca

Serving our local book industry

Copibec is a non-profit social enterprise specializing in copyright management.

Since its creation as a copyright collective in 1997 by the Union des écrivaines et écrivains québécois (UNEQ) and the Association nationale des éditeurs de livres (ANEL), Copibec has belonged to a community representing more than 30,000 authors and more than 1,300 publishers.

Collective licensing contributes to the social economy

Under the authority of copyright owners (i.e. authors and their publishers), Copibec administers and manages the reproduction rights for written works.

In concrete terms, Copibec collects and distributes the royalties payable to copyright owners. We therefore help ensure fair compensation for rightsholders when their content is used, which encourages them to continue their creative work, for example.

In contrast, managing rights individually would be more complicated, even impossible, for many users and creators. Collective licensing is a model that has proven its effectiveness by centralizing the administration of copyright royalties.

More details about our mission: copibec.ca

We’re here to serve users

We offer services to individuals and organizations that use written content in any sector, including:

  • Education
  • Arts and culture
  • Government and public administration
  • Private organizations and businesses

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