3 May 2012

In support of World Intellectual Property Day

‘A visionary artist or a composer or a writer is able to show us a different way of looking at the world.’These are the words of Francis Gerry, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation, speaking on World Intellectual Property (IP) Day that took place last week.

World Intellectual Property Day launched in 2000. Its aim is to heighten understanding about the value of intellectual property rights – not just for those who enjoy them, but for society at large. Legal safeguards for the intangible assets of creators ensure their interests continue to be served in today’s consumer-focused and innovation-rich environment. They ensure the moral and legal integrity of creators, and their right to be remunerated fairly for their efforts.

Without these rights creators, and thus creativity, would struggle to survive. Ultimately, this would impact us all. After all, with no one left to show us the different way of looking at the world, it would quickly start to seem a pretty monochrome and lifeless place.

Authors’ societies are on the front line of protecting creators’ rights and therefore dedicated supporters of World Intellectual Property Day.

In Latvia, the authors’ society AKKA/LAA – representing four thousand Latvian authors and over four million foreign authors – grabbed the opportunities of World IP Day with both hands, organising a one-week festival of events to celebrate the day.

The AKKA/LAA team ran a series of seminars for performing arts, theatre and photography students. Participants were given practical tips on copyright issues to take into account when organising a cultural event, like the importance of obtaining a user license for a play in preparation of an amateur dramatic production for example.

Participants were also given a clear overview of how authors’ societies work – and the benefits they bring to their active members.

For AKKA/LAA, these seminars – now up-and-running for some eight years – are crucial for establishing good habits in the performers, directors, photographers and writers of the future.

Intellectual Property Day is always a welcome reminder of the contribution creativity makes to our everyday lives, and the importance of making sure society’s intangible assets are protected by concrete laws.

PHOTO: AKKA-LAA staff and students during a seminar on World Intellectual Property Day.

Policies

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence brings about many new opportunities for our lives, including in the field of culture and creativity, but its applications also raise a number of ethical and legal questions due to their wide-spread uncontrolled and unchecked usage.

Policies

Music Streaming

Music streaming has unquestionably become the predominant means of enjoying music, replacing traditional physical media and expanded far beyond the live sector by providing user-friendly, high quality, and affordable access to the largest possible repertoire anytime, anywhere, online, or offline.

Songs and compositions are at the heart of this thriving market, which counts 524 million users on subscription-based music services globally, reaches more than 2 billion users including the streaming on UGC platforms, and offers more than 70 million tracks from approximately 8 million artists.

Yet, the authors and composers cannot benefit adequately from this success, and the debate over unfairness of this market is gaining traction across Europe and around the world.

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.

Read below to find out more about the Music Streaming market.

Policies

Buy-out contracts: a dangerous threat to European creators

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

Online audiovisual services and broadcasters that are mainly US-based are forcing music creators to accept such contracts, which enforce a one-time payment in exchange for their rights.

Given the worldwide popularity of shows and series on platforms like Netflix, Amazon, Disney etc., and their replay value, the audiovisual market represents an important revenue stream for creators. Soundtracks alone are part and parcel of series and often attract a similar amount of popularity, massively boosting sales, streams and the worldwide fanbase of their authors.

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

Policies

Authors’ societies & the collective management model

Authors’ societies are hugely beneficial to both authors (creators), users (platforms and services), and the broader public.

Beyond benefiting these different groups, authors’ societies also support the broader cultural ecosystem by funding and promoting cultural and creative initiatives.

Below are five key benefits to authors’ societies and the collective management model.

Policies

The Copyright Directive

In April 2019, the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market was formally adopted, a change that will positively transform authors’ rights throughout the EU. Each member state now has until 7 June 2021 to transpose the Directive into their respective national law.

This reform is an opportunity to address pressing issues for authors in the Digital Single Market and will promote the growth of Europe’s creative and cultural industries (CCIs) – a major driver of Europe’s economy.

One of the biggest achievements of this new piece of legislation was to address the
‘Transfer of Value’ problem, a priority issue for all European creators.

Below are some of the Directive’s key areas that will affect creators and those who profit from their work.