SAA - Society of Audiovisual Authors

Politicians often say that authors deserve fair remuneration but what is fair remeneration and how can European legislation ensure that authors are paid fairly whenever and wherever their works are exploited online?

This is what they need:

1. Remuneration right

Authors transfer their rights to producers before the audiovisual work is made and its value established. It prevents any possible valuation of the authors’ making available right at the production stage. Authors should therefore retain a right to proportionate remuneration that can be valued at the exploitation stage.

2. Unwaivable & inalienable 

Authors are in a weak individual negotiating position. Their only guarantee of being able to obtain fair remuneration is by making the right inalienable and unwaivable.

3. Paid by the end distributor

The audiovisual value chain is long, international and involves many intermediaries. For the process to be simple and effective, authors must be paid by the end-distributors i.e. audiovisual media services making works available to the public.

4. Collectively negotiated & enforced 

End-distributors won’t want to negotiate with thousands of individual authors. Such equitable remuneration should be collectively negotiated by authors’ representative organisations such as CMOs to guarantee effective enforcement and distribution.