SPA CEO Highlights Impact of Brexit on Authors’ Rights (sólo en inglés)

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The impact of Brexit on authors’ rights was addressed in an article written by SPAutores CEO José Jorge Letria and published in Portugal’s leading newspaper, Publico. In the article, SPA’s CEO underscores the influence of the United Kingdom in authors’ rights through societies such as PRS for Music, which possesses 102 years of experience and an influential music repertoire, and Directors UK, which gathers the majority of British audiovisual creators. Letria emphasises that these societies are reinforced on a global scale through integrating leadership structures like those of Paris-based CISAC and Writers & Directors Worldwide as well as Brussels-based GESAC. These organisations provide stability and allow the modern concept of rights administration to extend to a variety of areas, audiences and disciplines.

In response to the process of exiting the European Union, Letria noted that this is an expression and a call for Europe to become more transparent, more rigorous and have new rules with a new political and financial logic in decision-making. Without significant methodological change, Europe may have other countries following the United Kingdom’s example. To this extent, Letria calls for a swift transition period that does not delay the exit of the United Kingdom.

In regards to authors’ rights and collective management of rights in the European Union, while a door is open for dialogue, it cannot remain open to collective decisions with participation from those who have decided to leave. The Brexit process should be done with rigour and objectiveness. Letria underscores that the European Commission cannot forget that culture is an “essential pillar of the dialogue process between different people and nations, particularly in times of need for convergence and understanding, above all in times of uncertainty and long-standing disagreement”.

To receive a copy of the original article in Portuguese, please contact SPAutores.