FILMAUTOR
Bulgaria
SAA supports FILMAUTOR complaint against Bulgaria for EU copyright law breaches
7 October 2025
News
The SAA together with CISAC and GESAC, has formally supported a complaint submitted by SAA member, Bulgarian collective management organisation FILMAUTOR, to the European Commission concerning Bulgaria's systematic failure to comply with EU copyright law.
Since 2014, FILMAUTOR has been unable to collect remuneration for the retransmission of audiovisual works due to a dysfunctional tariff approval system. Under Bulgarian law, when negotiations between CMOs and users fail, a government commission must approve tariffs before authors can be remunerated. However, this commission systematically fails to issue decisions, leaving the process in legal limbo while users continue exploiting works without payment.
Between 2019 and 2024, five tariff procedures initiated by Bulgarian CMOs ended without any decision, demonstrating that the dysfunction is systemic rather than incidental. Bulgarian audiovisual authors have been deprived of fair remuneration for over a decade, whilst the system also affects international authors through representation agreements with CMOs outside the EU.
The situation breaches multiple provisions of the Collective Management Directive (2014/26/EU), including requirements for appropriate remuneration, good faith negotiations, and effective dispute resolution mechanisms.
SAA, CISAC and GESAC have called on the European Commission to examine the complaints with urgency and ensure Bulgaria complies with its obligations under EU copyright legislation.