Numerous authors as well as related rightholders have organised themselves in private-law organisations, the collective management organisations. They have the right to receive appropriate remuneration for each use of their respective works and artistic performances. However, since their works are often used in many different ways, it is almost impossible for rightholders to keep track of every single use process themselves, especially in today’s increasingly digitised world. This is why many creatives have CMOs exercise their rights. CMOs serve as a point of contact for creatives on the one hand and the users of artistic works and performances on the other hand. They grant licenses for the use of the content that was transferred to them according to the conditions set up in their tariffs and distribute the resulting revenue according to internal division rules among the creatives, their members and related rightholders.

Since most of the time CMOs are specialised in one particular artistic field (e.g. the GEMA in musical works, the VG Wort in literary works), they usually occupy a de facto monopoly position. Due to the risks resulting from this and because they act in a fiduciary capacity for their rightholders, the CMOs are subject to government supervision by the DPMA.

As supervisory authority, our office only acts in the public interest. We make sure the organisation of CMOs complies with the statutory provisions of the Act on Collective Management Organisations (CMO Act — Verwertungsgesellschaftengesetz) and monitor whether the CMOs carry out their duties to rightholders as well as users as defined in the CMO Act.

Some examples: We check whether the distribution plans according to which the CMOs distribute the revenue among the rightholders are free from arbitrariness. Our duties also include making sure the CMOs comply with the legal requirements for setting tariffs. To carry out our supervisory tasks, we have a comprehensive right to information as well as the option to attend the meetings of the CMOs’ various boards, to name just a few.

New collective management organisation for the gaming industry

In September 2025, the DPMA, in agreement with the Federal Cartel Office, granted the Verwertungsgesellschaft für die Hersteller von Games mbH (VHG), a collective management organisation for the producers of games, authorisation to conduct business. The VHG enforces legal claims to remuneration against the manufacturers of devices and storage mediums for private screenshots or recordings of the gameplay of computer and video games. It is the 14th CMO in Germany and acts as fiduciary trustee on behalf of game developers and publishers.

Together, the 14 CMOs currently authorised by the DPMA achieved a revenue of around 2.05 billion euros in 2024. The following table shows the amounts generated by each CMO.