Renowned European audiovisual authors support EP’s report on Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights

In a letter addressed to the Members of the European Parliament the SAA Board of Patrons gave its full support to Marielle Gallo’s report on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the Internal Market.

The SAA Board of Patrons, a body comprised of renowned European audiovisual authors such as Jaco Van Dormael, Notting Hill directorRoger Michell and the critically-acclaimed filmmaking duo Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, gave its  full support to Gallo’s report in a letter addressed to all MEPs.  Other patrons of SAA who gave their backing include the multi-award winning Bertrand Tavernier, Marco Tullio Giordana, Agnès Jaoui, Fred Breinersdorfer, Radu Mihăileanu, Carlo Lizzani and other distinguished scriptwriters and film and TV directors.

The report, drafted by French Conservative Marielle Gallo, was adopted by the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament on 1st June, and will be debated and voted this week in the European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg. The SAA Board of Patrons believes that Mrs Gallo’s report is a balanced one, which encompasses compromises between different political approaches on crucial provisions. They welcomed the view that copyright is an enabler, “helping creators earn a living and disseminating their works”.

The SAA Board of Patrons urged European decision-makers “not to be taken hostages of a fruitless and ideological debate on whether piracy should be treated differently from counterfeiting” and called on the European Parliament to secure fair remuneration for all the creators, especially if a European online market of quality and culturally diverse content is to be achieved.