Screenrights is pleased to announce that we are establishing a new Competing Claims Fund, to ensure that all members have at least a year for their competing claims to be resolved.
Based on the independent review of our Express Resolution Process (ERP) conducted by Phillip Argy, as well as industry consultation and member feedback, Screenrights’ new Competing Claims Fund will allow sufficient time for members to seek to resolve late identified competing claims between themselves and to access resolution procedures if needed.
Where a competing claim remains unresolved at the end of the distribution period, the royalties subject to the competing claim will no longer be rolled into the next distribution period, and will instead be held in trust for a further 12 months.
These royalties will be held in the Competing Claims Fund for a maximum of one year. Where the competing claim remains unresolved at the end of the competing claims fund year, those royalties will be rolled into the next available distribution period.
“We welcome the announcement of Screenrights’ Competing Claims Fund, as it will allow us the time to resolve any issues and make sure that we can access payments we’re entitled to, even when we become aware of conflicts right before a royalty deadline. It’s great that they’re listening to members and improving their processes.” – Darren Dale, Blackfella Films
What is a competing claim?
A competing claim happens when two or more members submit registrations to Screenrights for exactly the same title and the claims overlap in some way. This means that the members are asserting the same rights and claiming the same royalties.
When there is a competing claim it is unclear to Screenrights who is entitled to royalties for the title, so we ask our members to resolve the competing claim by reviewing their own claims and speaking with each other.
For further information about competing claims, please refer to the Screenrights Resolution website.
