Venice Declaration

Together, we have been calling on the European institutions to adopt a Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market that introduces an unwaivable right to proportionate remuneration for authors, collected directly from the on-demand platforms by the collective management organisations representing us, the authors.

Our call has partially been heard: a majority of the Members of the European Parliament supports a compromise amendment introducing a principle of fair and proportionate remuneration for authors and performers for the exploitation of their works, including online. Most importantly, this new provision acknowledges that authors cannot be left to individual contracts with producers only and that complementary mechanisms providing additional remuneration to the authors for the use of the works are necessary (as it already exists in several countries who have statutory remuneration mechanisms using collective management).

However, this achievement is in danger of being wiped out if the European Parliament does not adopt its position on the Copyright Directive in the Digital Single Market on 12 September. This is the last chance for an adoption of the Directive before the European elections.

We, audiovisual authors, absolutely need this Directive to be adopted on time to ensure freedom of expression and independence of creators as well as authors’ rights. The principle of fair and proportionate remuneration, improved measures on the transparency of the exploitation and contract adjustment mechanism will make a big difference. With these provisions, the Directive will improve our position in the industry and pave the way for a much-needed EU right to remuneration for the on-demand exploitation of audiovisual works.

Therefore, we call on the Members of the European Parliament not to further delay the Directive and to adopt a strong position that would put authors at the heart of copyright and of the European cultural industry, including online.

Signatories

Robert Alberdingk Thijm · Marie Amachoukeli · Gianni Amelio · Roberto Andò · Jacques Audiard · Peter Balko · Nicolas Bary · Luc Battiston · Peter Bebjak · Pablo Berger · Marco Bellocchio · Julie Bertuccelli · Karolina Bielawska · Kristof Bilsen · Icíar Bollaín · Bertrand Bonello · John Boorman · Geert Bouckaert · Eva Borušovičová · Patrick Braoudé · Francesco Bruni · Jan Bultheel · Thomas Cailley · Laurent Cantet · Enrico Caria · Christian Carion · Peter Carpentier · Olivier Casas · Mariana Čengelová-Solčanská · Malik Chibane · Hélier Cisterne · Dan Clifton · Borja Cobeaga · Stijn Coninx · Catherine Corsini · Gilles Coulier · Daniele Costantini · Costa-Gavras · Luc Dardenne · Camille de Casabianca · Ruggero Deodato · Sophie Deschamps · Dante Desarthe · Rik D'Hiet · Alice Diop · Evelyne Dress · Dušan Dušek · Klemen Dvornik · Benedikt Erlingsson · Antonio Falduto · Joël Farges · Wolfgang Fischer · Giovanna Gagliardo · Giuliana Gamba · Matteo Garrone · Yann Gonzalez · Mattias Goovaerts · Fabio Grassadonia · Ugo Gregoretti · Jochen Greve · Rachid Hami · Hans Herbots · Agnieszka Holland · Jan Hřebejk · Hrvoje Hribar · Kevin Ingelbrecht · Agnès Jaoui · Lou Jeunet · Pierre Jolivet · Cédric Klapisch · Stephan Komandarev · Peter Krüger · Pierre Lacan · Joachim Lafosse · Alexandre Lanca · Eric Lartigau · Michel Leclerc · Juraj Lehotský · Mike Leigh · Marek Leščák · Zuzana Liová · Daniele Luchetti · Lars Lundström · Miloslav Luther · Jean Marboeuf · Nathalie Marchak · Șerban Marinescu · Umberto Marino · Olivier Masset-Depasse · Roger Michell · Radu Mihaileanu · Jonathan Millet · Cătălin Mitulescu · Laura Morante · Steve Moreau · Cristian Mungiu · Olivier Nakache · László Nemes · Dirk Nielandt · Raf Njotea · Sanne Nuyens · Juraj Nvota · Sir Alan Parker · Paweł Pawlikowski · Sverre Pedersen · Cãlin Peter Netzer · Antonio Piazza · Dan Pița · Corneliu Porumboiu · Paul Powell · Elina Psykou · Andrea Purgatori · Katell Quillévéré · Francesco Ranieri Martinotti · Aude Léa Rapin · Dušan Rapoš · Raf Reyntjens · Manu Riche · Yves Ringer · Jaime Rosales · Christina Rosendahl · Michaël R. Roskam · Alessandro Rossetti · Christophe Ruggia · Stefan Ruzowitzky · Michel Sabbe · Jean-Paul Salomé · Stefano Sardo · Giacomo Scarpelli · Lone Scherfig · Volker Schlöndorff · Pierre Schoeller · Julien Selleron · Guillaume Senez · Alberto Simone · Laura Siváková-Paššová · Marko Škop · Joren Slaets · Karel Soffers · Paolo Sorrentino · Italo Spinelli · Birgitte Stærmose · Ben Stassen · Hugh Stoddart · Charles Sturridge · Ondrej Šulaj · Danis Tanović · Bertrand Tavernier · Paolo Taviani · Samuel Tilman · Laurent Tirard · Eric Toledano · Giuseppe Tornatore · Mila Turajlic · Dušan Trančík · Alessandro Trigona Occhipinti · Fernando Trueba · Enrique Urbizu · Jaco Van Dormael · Lies Van Grieken · Felix van Groeningen · Pieter Van Hees  · Joël Vanhoebrouck · Vincent Vanneste · Hans Van Nuffel · Frank Van Passel · Eva Vejmělková · Jan Verheyen · Margarethe von Trotta · Martijn Winkler · Krzysztof Zanussi