DVP was created on 26 October 2021 by 74 press publishers and news agencies to manage related rights within the context of new legislation established by the European Directive of 17 April 2019 regarding copyright and related rights in the digital single market, incorporated into French law by the Act of 24 July 2019, to protect press publishers and news agencies.

This related right entitles press publishers and news agencies to compensation by online communication platforms, such as Google, Meta, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., that make use of their content in digital form.

DVP is a non-profit civil society organisation that operates on a cooperative basis: it consolidates the related rights associated with the content produced by its members, press publishers and news agencies, in order to negotiate the best possible remuneration from online public communication platforms that use this content in digital formats.

Collective management allows press publishers and news agencies to assert their rights as a united group when dealing with platforms that exploit their content.

As part of its remit, its role is to:

• negotiate with online public communication platforms to secure rights and ensure compensation is paid out to its members for the use of their content in the context of related rights;
• collect royalties due to its members for the use of their content;
• and distribute these royalties among its members.

Collected royalties are distributed after deduction of the costs incurred by DVP operations, as per the general policy defined by its members and the application procedures determined by its Board of Directors, which is made up of 16 directors, including 15 DVP members and one qualified expert.

As a collective management organisation, DVP guarantees fair and equitable economic conditions for all its members.

All holders of related rights in the press as defined by the law of 24 July 2019, that is to say:

• press publishers, natural or legal persons, as defined by Article L. 218-1 of the Intellectual Property Code, who, in this capacity, publish a print publication and/or an online press service defined as: “a collection consisting mainly of literary works of a journalistic nature, which may also include other protected works or objects, in particular photographs or video content, and which together represent a cohesive unit within a periodical or regularly updated publication bearing a single title, with the aim of providing the public with information on current events or other published topics, on any medium, on the initiative, under the editorial responsibility and under the control of these publishers.“

Recognition by the CPPAP (Commission paritaire des publications et agences de presse or Joint Commission for Publications and Press Agencies) of a press publication or online press service is a sufficient but not necessary condition for its publisher to become a member of DVP.

• Press agencies, i.e. commercial companies that professionally collect, process, format and broadcast information that has been edited as journalism in line with procedures under their own responsibility, generating a turnover that is at least 50% derived from the provision of such information to press publishers, news agencies, and editors of digital communication services.

News agency established in France must be recognised by the CPPAP to become DVP members.

Every three years, DVP member press publishers and news agencies meet in a General Meeting to elect:

• a Board of Directors, composed of 16 directors, 15 of whom are DVP member press publishers and news agencies and one of whom is a qualified expert. This Board of Directors takes all decisions relating to the running of DVP and, in particular, decides on the conclusion of licensing agreements with online public communication platforms and sets the level of remuneration to be paid for the licences issued, as well as the methods for collecting and distributing this remuneration among DVP members. These decisions are implemented by a Managing Director.

• A Supervisory Board, composed of 6 members, including no more than 2 qualified experts. This Supervisory Board supervises and reviews the activities of the Board of Directors and the Managing Director.

The General Meeting, made up of all DVP members, takes place annually to: approve annual accounts; validate the previous year’s activity report; adopt general policies such as the general policy on distribution, the general investment policy, and the general policy on deductions made from sums collected before distribution to members; and more generally to discuss all items on the agenda. It also elects the members of the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board.

Therefore, DVP members work together to decide on the organisation’s overall direction.