SAA - Society of Audiovisual Authors

In the office of EVP Virkkunen, the SAA delegation made the case that Europe's audiovisual authors, the screenwriters and directors behind its most celebrated films and series, were being left behind by the industry their work sustains. Authors receive just 0.53% of a €141 billion market (2024), and with generative AI now threatening a further 21% of their revenues by 2028, the delegation argued that action was needed to preserve audiovisual authors’ ability to make a living.

The SAA was represented by Chair Barbara Hayes, Vice Chair Patrick Raude, Secretary General Cécile Despringre, and Public Affairs and Communications Director Annica Ryng, alongside two authors: Saara Saarela, Finnish film director and Chair of SELO and Angelo Tijssens, Belgian screenwriter and Chair of deAuteurs. Three issues were on the table: AI and authors' rights, the AVMS Directive review, and the DSM Directive review.

AI and authors’ rights: "I have no control over where my creations go"

Saara Saarela spoke about the lack of control authors face: “I receive very little revenue from the platforms. I have no control over where my creations end up. All the episodes of the second season of the popular Finnish TV series (‘Munkkivuori’) that I directed were pirated on TikTok in full length, and I will never know how the content will be used.”

Patrick Raude explained how AI companies have been overly relying on the text and data mining (TDM) exception in the DSM Directive as an excuse to avoid payment. He stressed that CMOs were the solution. CMOs can license opt-ins that grant AI companies the right to use authors' works in exchange for fair compensation. The SAA welcomed the Parliament’s Voss report, adopted on 10 March 2026, which, like the French approach, proposes a presumption of use of protected works, shifting the burden of proof from the individual author to the tech company.

EVP Virkkunen agreed that the current situation was unfair to individual authors and that they should be fairly compensated when their works are used. She identified the upcoming reviews of the AVMS and the DSM Directives, the Code of Practice on GPAI and anti-piracy efforts as opportunities to address these issues. She acknowledged that transparency remains a challenge and emphasised the importance of technical solutions to detect material and enable opt-out. Barbara Hayes repeated the SAA’s call on the ART framework: authorisation, remuneration and transparency.

When EVP Virkkunen asked whether there were any good examples of agreements with AI companies in our sector, Patrick Raude replied that there were none. CMOs have tried to contact AI companies of all sizes, but without success. “They don't even want to come to the table for an initial dialogue”.

The AVMS Directive: don't break what isn't broken

Cécile Despringre clearly set out SAA's position: the Directive works. The 30% catalogue quotas, investment obligations and improved prominence obligations have delivered results. Any revision should strengthen, not weaken, the directive. She also noted that Netflix challenged Belgian legislation on streamer financial contribution to production in court and was largely dismissed (read our press release).

Saara Saarela welcomed that Finland was finally considering a streaming levy, as in place in many European countries. EVP Virkkunen acknowledged that many countries experienced delays in the implementation of the directive due to the COVID pandemic, which was complicating the assessment work of the Commission. She said that, while she generally favours regulations over directives, she acknowledged that the cultural sector was different and that directives were justified. She added that the AVMSD should remain a directive going forward.

DSM Directive: a landmark on paper, a disappointment in practice

Barbara Hayes described the right of authors to appropriate and proportionate remuneration under Article 18 of the 2019 DSM Directive as a landmark achievement but noted that its implementation has been uneven across Member States. Only a limited number of them established effective remuneration mechanisms addressing streaming via collective management organisations.

Angelo Tijssens confirmed from his experience the discrepancy between broadcasting and streaming royalties around Europe. Saara Saarela stated that there has been no real improvement for authors in Finland since the DSM Directive came into effect, as buy-out contracts were still being used. Barbara Hayes then called on the Commission to map the legal and market loopholes that prevent economic sustainability for audiovisual authors.

In closing the meeting, EVP Virkkunen noted that “we have important months ahead” and thanked the SAA delegation for the discussion.