This work was published to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the VG WORT. It begins with an introduction to the collecting society's development and goes on to describe the collecting society's history from 1958 to 2008. Intrinsically tied to the history of VG WORT are the various intellectual property rights. This work reflects on future prospects in the face of the rapid development of technical advancements and the difficulties in exercising copyright laws in the digital and multimedia age.