News
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A Global Declaration for Artistic Freedom, Cultural Diversity and cultural sovereignty
A global petition was launched today by representatives from the film and audiovisual sectors across the world, calling on all governments to stand firm and safeguard the systems that support independent film and audiovisual creation so that culture, creativity, and democratic access to diverse stories for the screen can continue to flourish.
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European organisations call on EU Culture Ministers to strengthen the Creative Europe - MEDIA programme
Organisations from across the Europe's film and audiovisual sector send a joint statement to EU Culture Ministers ahead of the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council on 12-13 May, calling for sector-specific effective EU funding programmes, to safeguard the long-term resilience, competitiveness and the vitality of Europe’s cultural and creative ecosystem.
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SAA delegation meets Commissioner Micallef on authors' rights and AI
On 15 April, a delegation from the SAA met with Glenn Micallef, EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Youth, Culture and Sport. SAA Patron Špela Čadež, a Slovenian animation writer and director, shared her testimony of a career with precarious and unstable income, difficult to reconcile with work-life balance. Her experience reinforced the SAA’s message to the Commissioner.
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Audiovisual authors speak out and urge WIPO Copyright Committee to address their rights
Filmmakers and copyright experts have gathered at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva to discuss the lack of fair remuneration for audiovisual creators, and the urgent need for a study on the global situation of remuneration for audiovisual authors worldwide.
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New SAA Board confront AI, Big Tech and copyright challenges head-on
On 1 April, SAA General Assembly elected a new leadership; a Board of Directors that will guide the strategic direction of the organisation for 2025-2027 to address the challenges facing audiovisual authors in Europe, including the impact of generative AI, the uncertain regulatory environment and the challenging political climate.
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Copyright and AI: 7 recommendations to the UK (and the EU alike)
On 25 February, the SAA submitted its response to the UK’s public consultation on copyright and artificial intelligence. The UK proposes to introduce an exception for AI training with the possibility of rights reservations, similar to the EU. We responded that an exception for AI training is far from helpful in achieving the UK’s (and the EU’s) objective of promoting innovation while protecting the creative sector. Collective licensing is the most acceptable solution.
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Statement from a coalition of rightsholders on the third draft of the EU AI Act’s GPAI Code of Practice: We cannot support it!
Joint statement by a coalition of authors, performers and other rightsholders active across the EU’s cultural and creative sectors regarding the third draft of the EU AI Act’s GPAI Code of Practice: It undermines the objectives of the AI Act, contravenes EU law and ignores the intention of the EU legislator – we cannot support it.
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Joint letter to Vice-President Virkkunen and Commissioner Micallef on the draft AI Code of Practice
Authors' and performers' representative organisations write to EU Vice-President Virkkunen and Commissioner Micallef to address the shortcomings of the AI Code of Practice to ensure that authors' and performers' rights and remuneration are respected.
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Joint statement at the Paris 2025 AI Action Summit
All the cultural and creative sectors have come together to reaffirm the international copyright framework in a call signed by 38 European and global organisations at the AI Summit.
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Joint statement: Championing a thriving and diverse cultural future for Europe’s film and audiovisual sector
We are approaching the end of the year, but the beginning of a new mandate for the European Commission. European audiovisual stakeholders therefore jointly call on European Ministers of Culture to reaffirm their commitment to policies that promote Europe’s unique cultural diversity while supporting local audiovisual ecosystems in a rapidly changing world.
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Open letter: Creators and rightholders organisations call for a meaningful implementation of the AI Act
We are writing to you as a broad coalition of creators and rightholders active across the EU’s cultural and creative industries to reiterate our support for the aims of the AI Act and to encourage you to promote and oversee its effective and meaningful implementation.
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Creators’ rights organisations urge Finnish MPs to reverse cuts to private copying compensation
The European and international organisations of authors and performers’ collective management organisations in the audiovisual, music, literary and visual arts – AEPO-ARTIS, BIEM, CISAC, EVA, IFRRO, GESAC and the SAA – have joined forces to call on the Finnish Parliament to reverse the cut in private copying compensation.
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