Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about DCU, licensing, and membership.
Not yet. DCU is starting as an unincorporated association of creators, with plans to become a Community Interest Company (CIC) as we grow. Our core licensing work does not require trade union status.
Any digital creator based in or operating from the UK: writers, video makers, educators, social creators, B2B experts and more.
Where members have authorised DCU to act, we may propose and negotiate a Creator Contribution Licence for specified commercial uses such as advertising, subscriptions, AI training and enterprise products. No platform is required to accept a licence, and no payment is guaranteed.
No. You generally retain ownership of rights you own, but you must check employer, client, co-author, platform, AI-tool and third-party rights before authorising DCU.
Founding membership is free for the first year. After that, we expect a sliding-scale fee, with reductions for low-income creators. Exact details will be decided with founding members.
A proposed target is around 80% of net licence revenue to eligible creators, with around 20% retained for operations, legal work and advocacy. No fixed percentage has been approved.
Any mandate should be separately documented and ordinarily non-exclusive. You can still do your own deals; DCU would focus on voluntary negotiations covering specified rights and uses.
No. AI is a major focus, but we also cover traditional uses such as ads, subscriptions and enterprise products that rely on creator content.
We’re starting in the UK. Any future expansion would depend on the model being proven, appropriate local advice and separate arrangements.
We aim to operate transparently through a public constitution, separate written mandates, approved policies and regular reporting to members. Members should only submit rights they own or are authorised to license.
No. DCU supports innovation and responsible AI. We believe AI should be developed through fair partnerships with creators; not by treating creators’ work, knowledge and identity as free raw material. Our focus is consent, transparency, credit and fair compensation.
No. DCU cannot guarantee that a platform, AI company or other organisation will agree to a licence or make a payment. DCU’s role is to build collective leverage, develop licensing frameworks, advocate for fair terms and negotiate where members have authorised it to act.
No. Members retain ownership of rights they own. Membership alone does not transfer copyright, content, personal data or other rights to DCU. Any authority for DCU to act will be set out clearly in a separate member mandate.
No. A creator’s relationship with a platform is governed partly by that platform’s terms. DCU cannot automatically override those terms. We work to improve the terms of trade, negotiate fair agreements and advocate for stronger creator protections.
AI is a major new source of value being created from content, knowledge, voices, images and other creator contributions. DCU focuses on AI because creators should have a meaningful say in how their work is used and should share fairly where commercial value is created.