SAA - Society of Audiovisual Authors

Presenting SAA views on the DSM Directive review

Lusiana and I were interviewed by a representative of Verian Group, the contractor commissioned by the European Commission to conduct the study for the review of the DSM Directive. We presented our main points for a stronger, more decisive framework for audiovisual authors' remuneration, in line with the contributions we had already sent. We also took the opportunity to walk them through how the audiovisual value chain actually works, how it differs from other sectors and what it means in practice for copyright implementation. The interview was the final step in the stakeholder consultation process. We are now waiting to hear more about the timeline and publication of the study.

In the courtroom: the Streamz case at the CJEU

On 6 and 7 July, I was in Luxembourg for the Court of Justice of the EU hearing in the Streamz case (C-663/24). It was a significant moment, seven Member States and a number of rightholder organisations stood on one side, while the other brought together some familiar names: Meta, Google, Sony Music, Spotify, Deezer, and Streamz itself.

At the heart of the case is the relationship between Articles 15, 17 and 18 of the DSM Directive and Belgium's residual remuneration rights for authors, performers and press publishers. The opponents - including, frankly, the European Commission, which I found quite striking - argued that Article 18 cannot serve as a legal basis for third-party payment obligations outside contractual relationships, and that mandatory collective management limits authors' options. These arguments were rejected by Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Spain, France, Hungary and Poland who defended their right to implement additional measures to achieve the objective of the directive. The Advocate General's conclusions are expected on 19 November, and ahead of that, we are planning an online expert seminar on audiovisual authors' remuneration rights, more details to follow.

Speaking on AI in Paris

I also had the chance to speak at a roundtable in Paris, at the Forum Entreprendre pour la Culture, on AI in Europe. I highlighted the core challenges we keep coming back to, which is the lack of authorisation and remuneration for AI training on protected works, and the risk that producers and financiers use AI to cut costs, particularly human and creative ones, with long-term consequences for the next generation of authors.

I also pushed back on a misconception I keep hearing: that AI might do away with the need for producers altogether. Screenwriters and directors don't necessarily want to self-produce, the roles remain distinct. What I am genuinely critical of is the enormous amount of time and energy that went into drafting the EU's code of practice on general-purpose AI, only to arrive at a dead end. Transparency remains non-existent, AI companies have refused to engage with authors' representatives and CMOs, and the text and data mining exception continues to be stretched beyond recognition. The answer isn't arbitration or mediation,  it's real rules that require licensing agreements when protected works are used. Our proposals are presented in our contribution to the call for evidence on EU copyright rules.

Coming up: Sarajevo Film Festival

After my holidays, I will fly directly to Sarajevo, where Annica and I have been co-organising with CineLink, the industry section of the festival, two panel discussions. We will share the full details soon, but briefly: the first panel will look at AI as both a threat and a tool for film professionals, with a particular focus on the contrast between Western and South-East Europe. The second, that I will moderate, will focus on copyright infrastructure in the Western Balkans; legal recognition, collective management, and what it takes to build a fair ecosystem for audiovisual authors in a region where that foundation is still very much under construction.

Summer greetings from the SAA team!

And on that note - a warm end-of-summer greeting from the whole SAA team, and a special thank you to Maxence, who is finishing his internship with us this month. We wish him all the best for what comes next!

Cécile