Why art licensing matters
To coincide with the launch of DACS Images, DACS' Head of Licensing Victoria Hooper explores the origins of licensing and why it matters more than ever.
Art licensing takes many forms. Over my 20 years in the industry, I have seen it applied in countless creative ways, from traditional publishing to emerging formats like virtual reality and immersive exhibitions. When used correctly, art can enrich a project and enable a product to stand out. But behind every image is a creator who deserves recognition and fair payment for the use of their work. That's where licensing comes in.
Art licensing provides a way to use artwork legally and ethically, ensuring artists are credited, compensated, and respected. For those wishing to reproduce art, licensing isn’t just a box to tick: it’s a way to engage responsibly with creative content and ensure the integrity of the image used and the artist who created it.
A brief history: from copyright to licensing
The first Copyright Act, the Statute of Anne (1709), aimed to protect publishers, but artists soon followed. In the 18th century, William Hogarth successfully lobbied for artists' rights after seeing poor-quality copies of his engravings sold without permission or payment.
While reproduction through prints has long existed, formal art licensing as a professional model emerged in the 20th century.
In the UK, the creation of DACS in 1984, by a group of visionary lawyers and artists including Eduardo Paolozzi and Susan Hiller, helped formalise this system. DACS was set up to protect artists’ rights, manage usage through licensing, and ensure fair pay when their work was reproduced in publications, merchandise, TV broadcasts and more.
Why it matters today
Today, licensing is more important than ever, for artists and for the industries that rely on their work. Many artists rely on a portfolio of earnings, combining teaching, commissions, and commercial collaborations. Licensing offers a sustainable, ongoing income stream that supports their creative practice. For estates, licensing provides income to help manage archives and a way to respect an artist’s legacy and wishes in how their work is used after their death.
From a user perspective, licensing simplifies access to high-quality art. Services like those provided by DACS, streamline the process, enabling publishers, picture researchers and brands to source impactful visual content, while supporting living artists and estates.
But licensing also matters because of the internet’s double-edged sword. The ease of finding and sharing images online can lead to the widespread use of artworks without permission — often with no credit or compensation to the artist. As digital consumption grows, so too does the risk of creative exploitation.
That’s why it’s worth asking: not just can I use this image but should I? Is it used with proper permission? Is the creator being acknowledged and paid?
By choosing licensed art, you're not only mitigating legal risk, you're championing creativity and contributing to a fairer, more sustainable creative economy. At DACS, we’re proud to make that process easier, clearer, and more ethical, for artists, and for those wanting to reproduce their work.
About the author
Victoria Hooper is Head of Licensing at DACS, managing a team that works with over 700 customers each year seeking to use works of art by DACS members in their projects. She also oversees the recently relaunched DACS Images, which brings together image supply and copyright clearance on a single, easy-to-use platform.
