Removal of private copying remuneration would be detrimental not only to rightholders, but also to manufacturers and consumers, according to a new study published by Compass Lexecon.

Letter to the European Voice: Setting straight the picture of collective rights-management organisations

Delegation of leading European Audiovisual Authors presents their vision for the future of the online market – one that brings their works to as many people as possible while guaranteeing authors a fair deal and securing the financing of future works.

SAA was elected on to the board of the European Platform on the potential of the European Cultural and creative Industries at the platform’s plenary meeting on January 12th 2012.

The board of the Society of Audiovisual Authors has unanimously elected SACD Deputy General Manager, Janine Lorente, as its new Chair. The election was held as Gerhard Pfennig stepped down from his position as Managing Director at VG Bild-Kunst after 33 years at the German society. As part of the elections Robert Staats, Managing Director of VG Wort, was elected as Vice Chair, as Scam Director General, Hervé Rony, stepped down.

Paul Powell's keynote speech at SAA's conference - Audiovisual Authors Online - Seizing the Digital Revolution.

European officials and a variety of actors from across the audiovisual sector came together in Brussels on 29th November 2011 to look at what the digital revolution means for audiovisual authors like directors and screenwriters and came up with concrete ideas for how this revolution could be seized as an opportunity to finally link authors’ remuneration more directly to the success of their works.

European rightholders welcome the recent appointment of Mr Antonio Vitorino as the mediator in the dialogue on private copying remuneration.

The European Commission published its Green Paper on “Online Distribution of Audiovisual Works in the EU – opportunities and challenges towards a digital single market” on 13th July 2011.

The Society of Audiovisual Author’s (SAA’s) chairman of the board of directors Gerhard Pfennig, speaking at the CISAC World Copyright Summit on Wednesday 9th June 2011, offered an open hand of collaboration to Europe’s producers, in the organisation’s efforts to guarantee a digital market that remunerates filmmakers.

Some of Europe’s leading audiovisual creators and CEO’s of Europe’s audiovisual collective management societies presented the Society of Audiovisual Author’s (SAA’s) White Paper investigating the rights and remuneration of audiovisual authors in the digital age. The meeting was timely following the publication of the Commission’s communication on a Single Market for Intellectual Property Rights which confirmed that the subject will be treated in the forthcoming Commission Audiovisual Green Paper.

At a time when the European Commision is preparing its proposal for the next financial framework after 2013, the independence and the budget of the MEDIA programme, which supports the European audiovisual industry, are threatened.