Are there any restrictions for making a claim?

In our Online Portal, you can easily submit a claim if your works have been allocated to the wrong category, assigned incorrect shares, or distributed with an inaccurate rating. The same applies for work uses which had not been included in the royalty payout.

There are some restrictions, however. They are set out in the GEMA distribution plan as adopted by the ordinary members' assembly.

We have summarised the most important items for you:

1. You can only submit claims for the following types of use, such as:
   • Live and communication to the public: Live performances of entertainment music (U/UD) and serious music (E/ED), renditions of serious music (EM) and stage music (BM)
   • Radio, TV and film: Radio (R/ R VR), television (FS/ FS VR), sound film on TV including product product advertising (T FS/ T FS VR), cinema (T/ TD/ TD VR) 
   • Audio and audiovisual recordings: Audio recordings mechanical rights (Phono VR) and audiovisual recording mechanical recordings (BT VR): The last distribution in this category took place on July 1, 2025. Complaints regarding the 2024 usage year can still be submitted via the online portal until September 30, 2025. For information after September 30, 2025, please check our website regularly. 
   • Online: Music on demand download (MOD D/ MOD D VR), music on demand streaming (MOD S/ MOD S VR), video on demand download (VOD D/ VOD D VR), video on demand streaming (VOD S/ VOD S VR), live streaming – audiovisual live streams and linear streams on the internet (WEB/ WEB VR), mixed online platforms (GOP/ GOP VR) 
   • International Income: Performances and mechanical reproductions abroad 
      
2. There are types of use for which you cannot submit claims:
   
   
   • Category AI (music in the course of church services) and DK /DK VR (music playback in discotheques / reproduction of musical works by Djs who use such works for communication to the public in discotheques or clubs)
   • Claims for royalty payouts in the live categories are not required for DJ sets in clubs since such events are allocated to the DK category..
      
3.  The claim must be submitted within the set claims deadline.
    
4.  The claim must be submitted in full and with all the necessary information. If specific details are missing, you will be asked to provide it. Failure to submit them in due time results in the claim being rejected. All necessary information is requested step by step in the GEMA Online Portal, so you can't forget anything.
    
5. No claims by email or post: Since 27 November 2024, claims are only accepted via the Online Portal. In the case of monitoring or mass claims for broadcasting rights (use of music on the radio or on TV) there are exceptions: These should be agreed with us beforehand and cannot be submitted via the Online Portal until further notice. Details can be accessed at Radio, TV and film. 
    
6. A claim is only considered if the result is expected to yield a minimum amount of EUR 5.00 per work. 
    
7. For the categories radio, Tv/film (broadcasting rights) the following applies: You can only submit claims for transmissions that are lodged via the online service Claims. All other broadcasters are under the threshold for a programme analysis-based distribution (PVG, see Art. 94 of the GEMA distribution plan) and are not distributed by use. 
    
8. Claims for missing transmissions of broadcasters under the threshold will not be taken into consideration.