CISAC announces re-admission of India authors society IPRS

Paris, January 14th, 2019 – India’s music authors copyright society, the Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS), has been welcomed back as a CISAC member after two of years of reform. 

IPRS was temporarily expelled from CISAC in 2016, after a compliance review by CISAC found serious shortcomings and lack of compliance with CISAC’s rules. That decision, taken by CISAC’s Board of Directors and General Assembly, has now been reversed following the improvements made in the society’s governance.

Since 2016 and for over 2 years, CISAC has been working with IPRS to monitor, guide and help the society improve its operations and align it to global best practices in corporate governance, transparency, licensing, collections and distribution of royalties. CISAC has also noted that the Government of India has granted registration to IPRS once again under the Indian copyright law. Major reforms have taken place and further action will be made in the year ahead as part of a CISAC Development Review. The review is a scheme by which selected societies are given specialised support from CISAC to develop their operations.

India is a market of enormous potential for creators and the creative industries, especially now with Indian authors re-joining CISAC. Effective and transparent collective management of authors’ rights is essential to achieve fair remuneration for creators, future growth in royalties and a key role in the international CISAC community for India. 

Maintaining the highest levels of integrity and best practice is a top priority for CISAC. The Confederation conducts regular random compliance reviews among its 239 member societies in 122 countries. Since introducing the compliance review scheme in 2009, more than 90 members have undergone reviews. 

CISAC Director General Gadi Oron said: “India is an important market with a huge potential for creators and the creative industries. We are delighted to have IPRS back in our global network, following extensive reforms conducted at the society with CISAC’s support and guidance. CISAC’s best practice rules ensure high standards and mutual trust among our member societies and, as the India case shows, they also act as a lever for positive reforms where needed”. 

Former CISAC Vice President and IPRS Chairman Javed Akhtar said: “This homecoming is the occasion to acknowledge the decisive support received from the Government of India when all hope was lost as well as the unsparing assistance from and support of CISAC towards transparency and a compliant IPRS, for which the creative community will be forever grateful. Now we must look to the future. I want to assure all those who entrust their copyrights to the ‘new IPRS’, of our determination to become in the shortest possible time, a world-class Society, accurately tracking and monetizing all usage of their musical works in the country”.