CISAC and GESAC address collective management situation in Greece

CISAC, the global organisation representing authors’ societies, and GESAC, the organization representing European authors’ societies, are stepping up their efforts to help remedy the troubled royalty collection system in Greece.

CISAC and GESAC are calling on the national authors’ society AEPI to introduce urgent reforms to comply with CISAC’s global best practices and professional rules. CISAC’s Board of Directors is also evaluating new measures to address the findings of a recent government audit of the Greek society.  These could include sanctions such as expulsion from CISAC and GESAC membership.

It was announced last week by Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras that the government will appoint a special State Commissioner to oversee the society’s operations and address its current shortcomings. CISAC and GESAC are committed to working with the government and the creative community to address the situation in Greece and ensure creators obtain their remuneration, locally and from outside the country.

The CISAC and GESAC Board of Directors’ views were elaborated in a letter sent to AEPI’s management, voicing serious concerns about the situation among the authors’ societies community around the world.

CISAC and GESAC are considering different options to make sure that authors in Greece end up with a transparent society they control, with proper supervision, and where royalties collected reach the creators who deserve them.