The National Press Photographers Association has received its share of foreign royalty funds managed by the Authors Coalition of America. The total of $184,000 is earmarked for services and programs to benefit still photographers and not video, because the funds are derived from royalties on photocopies.
ACA unites 20 independent author organizations—including Advertising Photographers of America, Artists Rights Society, American Society of Media Photographers, Graphic Artists Guild, The Society of Illustrators and others—that together represent 120,000 creatives: writers, songwriters, illustrators, photographers and other visual artists. The Coalition receives payments from countries where local laws require that royalties be paid to the country of origin for photocopying written or visual works when the individual rights-holder is unknown.
ACA divides royalties among its member organizations using a pre-determined formula. In December 2007, ASMP received its share: a staggering $1.3 million. NPPA joined ACA in December 2008; this is its first disbursement of funds.
Executive director Jim Straight admitted that the organization had no idea of what amounts it could expect to receive, hence it has not formed specific plans for their use. He thinks that funding expanded advocacy and educational activities is most likely. NPPA has formed a task force to define more specific plans of how to use the funds to benefit editorial shooters.