CIAGP President Joins Expert Panel at the European Parliament
CIAGP President Hervé di Rosa joined other renowned creators and industry experts at a seminar in the European Parliament yesterday. The event, titled “Visual Authors’ Rights to Digital Value”, was organised by European Visual Artists (EVA) and aimed to bring the voice of creators directly to lawmakers.
Representing the European Parliament in this regard were two MEPs: Greek physicist, writer, and the dean emeritus of the University of Crete, Giorgos Grammatikakis; and Maltese lawyer and member of the Committee on Legal Affairs, Therese Comodini-Cachia.
The seminar focused on three key issues currently facing visual artists in the region.
1. Transfer of value and platform liability
- Reviewing the issues regarding the monetisation of online user content that features copyright works by digital intermediaries. Rather than flowing back to the creator, the only value generated in this model is unfairly transferred to the digital platform that facilitated its sharing.
2. Framing and embedding technology
- Identifying the negative consequences following recent EUCJ decisions (Svensson, Bestwater, GS Media) which ruled that links do not infringe copyright so long as the material is “freely accessible” on another website.
3. Collective management organisations
- Clarifying the role that CMOs play in ensuring that cultural heritage institutions and other users have access to works while guaranteeing remunerations for authors.
Hervé di Rosa took part in this third panel and stressed the positive mission that collective management organisations pursue.
CMOs help represent and defend authors’ rights at a national and EU level,” said di Rosa.
In her closing address, Therese Comodini-Cachia acknowledged the importance of providing a balanced solution for authors as well as users. She intends to use the information shared at the seminar to help author an impartial report on the European Commission copyright proposals currently under discussion.