GEMA (German organization)

Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte

Abbreviation	GEMA
Formation	September 28, 1933; 91 years ago (1933-09-28)
Purpose	Collecting society for collective rights management
Headquarters	Berlin and Munich
Location	Germany
Region served	Germany
Membership	c. 3,700 full members, c. 6,400 candidate members with limited rights, and c. 59,000 authors without access to full membership
Official language	German
Chairperson	Harald Heker
Staff	1,068
Website	www.gema.de

The Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte (GEMA; "Society for musical performing and mechanical reproduction rights") is a government-mandated collecting society and performance rights organization based in Germany,^[1] with administrative offices in Berlin and Munich. GEMA represents the usage rights stemming from authors' rights (e.g., mechanical licensing, broadcast licensing, synchronization licensing) for the musical works of those composers, lyricists, and publishers who are members in the organization. It is the only such institution in Germany and a member of BIEM and CISAC. Other collecting societies include the (AKM) Society of authors, composers and music publishers (de) in Austria and SUISA in Switzerland.

As an "accredited profit-making association with legal capacity" (German: rechtsfähiger wirtschaftlicher Verein), GEMA's capacity to be a subject of legal rights and duties is based upon state conferral (under Article 22 of the German civil code). The chairperson of the executive board (CEO) is Harald Heker (since 2007); the chairperson of the board of directors is Ralf Weigand.