Legal areas

SSA is active in the fields of exclusive rights and rights subject to mandatory collective management. In particular, the provisions of the Swiss Federal Act on Copyright and Related Rights (Copyright Act, CopA) are applicable.

Exclusive rights are rights freely held by authors who may, but are not obliged to, assign them to a collecting society such as SSA for voluntary collective management, while rights subject to mandatory collective management must, in any case, be administered by a collecting society pursuant to the law.

In Switzerland, the situation may thus be summarised for the most important usages as follows:

Exclusive rights

Broadcasting rights: Broadcasts of protected works on radio and TV.

Performing rights: Performances of dramatic, dramatico-musical and choreographic works in theatres and performance venues of any kind.

Reproduction rights: Production of audio and audiovisual recordings (CD, DVD, Blu-ray)

Rights subject to mandatory collective management

Retransmission rights: Simultaneous, complete and unaltered retransmission of broadcasts via cable networks or via IP-based networks on mobile devices and PC monitors.

Public reception rights: Reception of radio and TV broadcasts in public places.

Private copying rights: Production and import of blank CDs, DVDs,  built-in digital storage media; providing copies and built-in memory in connection with the distribution of television programmes (set-top-boxes, vPVR).

Rental rights: Rental of copies of works.

Reprography: The right to make photocopies.

Use in schools: use of works by teachers and their pupils for educational purposes.

Internal usage: In-house usage of works in companies, public offices, institutions, committees and other similar establishments for internal information and documentation.

The making available right

Making a work available in such a way that everyone can access it from a place and at a time individually chosen by them is an exclusive right. Since 1 April 2020, authors have an inalienable right to remuneration for the making available of their audiovisual works. It is subject to mandatory collective management and can only be exercised by an authorised management society. The application of this remuneration right is subject to certain conditions and it replaces the remuneration of the author for the use authorised by contract. Video-on-demand is therefore subject to two different and complementary rights systems. SSA manages the remuneration right and, for areas not covered by the new legal provisions, it manages the exclusive right of making available on a contractual basis for works in its repertoire.