In a world where cultural diversity is increasingly central in the discussions around the future of the European Union and its place in the global power shifts, the Advocate General (AG) in the case C-840/24 (VG Wort) reminds us that collective management organisations (CMOs) represent one of the building blocks of cultural development for a democratic (and diverse) society, by giving the chance to potential authors to create and express themselves.

The AVMS Directive is under review. Stakeholders on all sides say the same thing: don't reopen it. But creators fear losing ground, while platforms fear gaining obligations. History suggests that voluntary mechanisms aren't enough, so is the 30% European works’ quota for on-demand services still a minimum, or a ceiling?

While Generative AI is reshaping the audiovisual sector rapidly, the rules governing how authors' works are used have not kept pace. European screenwriters and directors are having their livelihoods threatened by AI models and systems trained on their works without authorisation, remuneration or transparency. The European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee has adopted a strong position on 28 January that will be put to a plenary vote on 10 March. The report by MEP Axel Voss, the rapporteur, calls for

North Macedonia, at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula with 1.8 million citizens, has an impressive cinematic track record. Milcho Manchevski's debut feature Before the Rain (1994) brought the country its first Oscar nomination, winning the Golden Lion at Venice. Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov's documentary Honeyland (2019) became the first Macedonian film nominated for two Oscars. Teona Strugar Mitevska has had several films selected for the Oscars, winning the LUX Audience Award 2019 with God E

While organisations representing rightsholders in Brussels are vastly outnumbered by large tech companies, EU Member States continue prioritising licensing mechanisms and the role of collective management organisations (CMOs). Following the Hungarian and Polish EU Presidencies initiative to advance the discussions among member states on AI and copyright (read part 1), Denmark followed up with a questionnaire about licensing frameworks. Here’s what we’ve learned (and responded):

Copyright protection in the AI era is in jeopardy. As the AI Act entered into force on 2 August, the challenges of copyright and AI remain not only unsolved but are becoming urgent. While the EU institutions tackle the problem from different fronts, a survey of European collective management organisations (CMOs) disclose the harsh reality: rightsholders are losing control of their works, AI companies are systematically avoiding licensing obligations, and the current legal framework is proving "unimpleme

On 7 March, I was invited by the Hellenic Copyright Organisation to a conference they organised for their 30th anniversary in Athens. Many prominent copyright experts gave valuable presentations on copyright and AI, while I participated in a roundtable on Copyright and Collective Management in the Age of AI. The panel was moderated by Prof. Bernt Hugenholtz. Alongside my colleagues from GESAC (Adriana Moscoso del Prado), AEPO-ARTIS (Ioan Kaes) and IFRRO (Anthi Akritidou), I explained the challenges CMOs

What transpires from recent news about Meta’s use of a pirate website to train its AI model is certainly not good news for authors. Indeed, very disappointed but not surprised, the authors have entered 2025 with a further confirmation that protected works have been and will continue to be used without their authorisation. The news arrives at a crucial and turbulent time for the EU and its authors, for at least two reasons: the battle on interpretation of the text-and-data mining exception and the drafti

Read the interview by UFUS AFA PROTECTION's (the Serbian Film Authors Organisation) with Cecile Despringre, SAA Secretary General, for the January issue of their Bulletin.

Authors’ unwaivable right to remuneration and collective management was first recognised in the early 1990s, with the directive on rental and lending rights and on cable and satellite (see our timeline of key EU directives). 30 years later, all European authors are fairly remunerated for when their works are shown on TV channels, copies are made for personal use on devices or media and films are watched on streaming platforms, right? No, unfortunately not.  

We’re back from intense few days in Strasbourg, for the first session of the European Parliament’s 10th term. Like many other stakeholders, we met with MEPs and their assistants, some of whom we knew and who had supported authors’ rights in the previous term, as well as new MEPs whom we identified as possible new allies.

On 6-9 June, EU citizens will have their say about the composition of the new European Parliament and consequently on the future of the Union. But both the EU and the cultural and creative sectors are facing a few challenges.