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EU AI ACT : Joint statement from European creators and rightsholders

GESAC, alongside with a broad coalition of organisations in Europe’s creative and cultural sectors welcomes today's approval of the EU AI Act by the European Parliament, and thanks Members of the European Parliament for the essential role they have played in supporting creators and rightsholders throughout the legislative process. The EU AI Act is world-first legislation that regulates the development and use of AI and sets an example for responsible AI governance. Read the full statement here

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EU AI ACT : Joint statement from European creators and rightsholders

GESAC, alongside over 200 organisations in Europe’s cultural and creative sectors, calls on the Member States to show global leadership and approve the AI Act at the COREPER meeting scheduled on 2 February.   Read the statement here.

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Press release: European Parliament adopts its Report on the Music Streaming Market

GESAC applauds the strong commitment of the EP to address creators’ concerns and welcomes the call for an EU legislation to ensure the transparency of and cultural diversity on all music streaming platforms. Strasbourg, 17 January 2024 – Today, the European Parliament plenary adopted the initiative report of MEP Ibán García del Blanco on “Cultural diversity and the conditions for authors in the European music streaming market” with an overwhelming majority. The report acknowledges the significant problems faced by creators and suggests Union-level initiatives to set the ground for a fairer and more sustainable ecosystem in this ever-growing market.  

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Press release: EU policymakers reach agreement on the AI Act

GESAC welcomes the recognition of the need for transparency and compliance with EU rules by providers of general-purpose AI models Brussels, 11 December 2023 – Following the EU decisionmakers’ announcement of having reached a political agreement on the EU AI Act at the end of a three-day trialogue meeting, GESAC welcomes the recognition on the need for providers of general-purpose AI models operating in the EU market to comply with EU copyright laws and minimum transparency obligations, which are indispensable for rightholders to exercise and enforce their rights.

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PRESS RELEASE: GESAC welcomes the report on the situation of authors in the music streaming market adopted in CULT Committee

Brussels, 28 November 2023 – GESAC welcomes the CULT Committee’s adoption of the initiative report on “cultural diversity and the conditions for authors in the European music streaming market” prepared by MEP Ibán García del Blanco, which rightly highlights the significant problems faced by authors and composers in the music streaming market and calls for EU policy actions to correct the existing imbalances and ensure the market’s sustainability.

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PRESS RELEASE: GESAC welcomes the European Parliament’s call for an EU action to address buyout practices, which circumvent EU rules and jeopardise sustainability of European creation.

Strasbourg, 21 November 2023 – Today the European Parliament adopted in plenary the report on the working conditions of artists, with a clear call to the Commission to address the growing phenomenon of coercive buyout practices from global platforms, that severely undermine the livelihood of authors and composers.

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PRESS RELEASE : New independent study commissioned by the European Parliament confirms the need for EU legislation to tackle buyouts imposed on authors and composers

Brussels, 6 November – GESAC welcomes the outcome of a new study on buyout in the creative sector, which confirms the need for legislation to tackle unfair and coercive buyout practices at EU level. The study that will be presented at the European Parliament tomorrow was commissioned by its JURI Committee and prepared by the CEIPI Research department of the University of Strasbourg.

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PRESS RELEASE: GESAC welcomes the European Parliament’s strong call for EU action to tackle coercive buy-out contracts imposed on European authors and composers by non-EU based VOD platforms

GESAC has issued a press release on today's vote by the Culture and Employment Committees of the European Parliament regarding the working conditions of artists. Read our full reaction below.

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GESAC's statement in view of the upcoming Trilogue meeting

In view of the upcoming Trilogue meeting on October 24, GESAC has issued a statement, urging European legislators to prioritize the inclusion of record-keeping and transparency obligations regarding the use of copyright-protected content by generative AI models. These obligations are necessary to ensure responsible and trustworthy AI systems, level the playing field, and enable European innovation and artistic creation. Read on to find out more.

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AI Act and use of copyright-protected content in AI systems: GESAC co-signs joint statement of European creators and right holders

GESAC has co-signed the following open letter calling for meaningful obligations on AI systems to ensure the lawful use of copyright-protected content.

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The 6th edition of the ALAI European Authors' Right Award – supported by GESAC, has been launched

Are you a law student currently studying or researching authors’ right/copyright? If so, we encourage you to apply for the 6th edition of the ALAI European Authors' Right Award – supported by GESAC!  

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Meet the Authors 2023

GESAC organised the 'Meet the Authors' event in the European Parliament on Tuesday, May 23rd, where European authors and composers from all over the EU met with their MEPs and shared their views, experiences, and expectations regarding their situation in the music and VOD streaming markets. Learn more about the event below.

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GESAC's 10 Points for a more sustainable and author friendly music streaming market at EU level

Following the recent study commissioned by GESAC and prepared by Emmanuel Legrand, GESAC is pleased to present the way forward through the objectives that must be met in order to create a fairer and more sustainable music streaming market for authors and composers. These are namely:

  • Increased value from the streaming market (Growing the size of the revenue pie)
  • More fairness in the value chain (Better sharing of the revenue pie)
  • Ensuring cultural diversity & transparency on music streaming platforms
GESAC believes each of these objectives requires a combination of industry and policy initiatives, which are outlined in the following document. Download the GESAC’s 10 Points infographic.
Read more about the Music Streaming market and how to make it sustainable and creator friendly.

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Highlights

European Parliament resolution on music streaming

Reflecting on the concerns raised by authors and composers from across Europe, the European Parliament decided to prepare and own-initiative Report on “Cultural diversity and conditions of authors in the European music streaming market”, which was adopted in Plenary on 17 January 2024, after a long and insightful consideration of MEPs on the different aspects of the issue.

Following the adoption of the report, GESAC General Manager Véronique Desbrosses had an exchange with the rapporteur MEP Garcia del Blanco.

Highlights

GESAC’s 10 Points for a more sustainable and author friendly music streaming market at EU level

Following the recent study commissioned by GESAC and prepared by Emmanuel Legrand, GESAC is pleased to present the way forward through the objectives that must be met in order to create a fairer and more sustainable music streaming market for authors and composers.

Highlights

Study on the place and role of authors and composers in the European music streaming market

September 28, 2022, marks the launch of the new Study on the place and role of authors and composers in the European music streaming market, commissioned by GESAC and written by Emmanuel Legrand.

Highlights

False bargain for European creators!

5 points on why and how to address buy-out contracts in the VOD sector

Policy

The protection of authors’rights is essential: without this, creators wouldn’t be paid for the use of their work

Hot in the news

Music Streaming

Music Streaming

Read more about the Music Streaming market and how to make it sustainable and creator friendly.

There is a need to look more closely at how songwriters and composers are connected to this thriving economy and what can be done to improve their currently neglected situation

Hot in the news

Buy-out contracts: a dangerous threat to European creators

Buy-out contracts: a dangerous threat to European creators

Read more to find out how video on demand platforms and broadcasters are circumventing EU law and what can be done about it.

European music creators (composers, lyricists etc.) are being forced to forsake thousands of euros in future earnings by draconian ‘work made for hire’ and buy-out contracts

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence
Read more about the necessity for AI to develop in a way that is responsible and sustainable for European creators

We represent 32 members
from 27 different countries.
Our members distributed €5.4 billion royalties in 2018 and invested €216 million in European culture

Representing creators from all over Europe

GESAC brings together organisations from a range of sectors to protect authors’ rights and promote their best interests. Our members manage the rights of their authors’ works and represent them in negotiations to secure things like fair remuneration. They are run by their members, are non-profit, and provide a crucial service in the creative sector that enables authors to create.

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