A key objective of CISAC is to be an industry-leading information resource to help drive awareness and education about the importance of the rights of creators around the world.

For member societies, CISAC provides technical briefings, international updates and facilitates training programmes. This helps provide societies with the knowledge and tools to administer the rights of creators efficiently and to the highest professional standards.

For creators, policymakers, legislators and the broader community, CISAC has created or supported several initiatives that further awareness and education about the rights of creators.

CISAC MOOC

CISAC has developed massive open online courses (MOOCs) in partnership with FutureLearn, the online platform of Open University UK. Built over 90 years of expertise in authors’ rights, the courses are taught by leading experts in the field and are reflective of the high standards established and enforced throughout the Confederation and its members. “Exploring Copyright: History, Culture, Industry” is an introduction to the importance of copyright and its history from the Renaissance to the Internet. “Copyright and the Business of Creative Industries”, the first CISAC University course to receive CPD certification, explains how copyright rules are applied and the flow of economic benefit between creators, rightsholders and users of creative works.

EIPIN

The EIPIN Innovation Society Project is an EU-funded research project that examines the role of intellectual property as a complex adaptive system in innovation. The project is managed by the EIPIN Consortium, formed by five IP research institutes Queen Mary Intellectual Property Research Institute (University of London), IPKM (Maastricht University), Magister Lvcentinvs (Universidad de Alicante), Munich Intellectual Property Law Center (MIPLC) and Center for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) in Strasbourg.

CISAC is a partner organisation in the framework of its cooperation with academia to promote pro-creator policies. CISAC assesses emerging researchers, helping with their intellectual property research and hosting them for a 3-6-month period. The Confederation also participates in selecting PhD researchers who will develop research in the areas of “Copyright in the digital economy” and “Collective management organisations and institutional users”.

ALAI

ALAI (the International Literary and Artistic Association) is an independent body dedicated to copyright and authors’ rights. Established in 1878 by Victor Hugo, ALAI unites copyright experts from academia, governments, international agencies and private practice. The association plays a key role in influencing domestic and international copyright laws.

In 2019, CISAC was a main partner for the annual ALAI congress with the participation of CISAC member societies. The congress was devoted to collective management, examining key topics and emerging business models in the collective management of rights. Speakers included WIPO Deputy Director Sylvie Forbin, European Union IP Office Executive Director Chrisian Archambeau, ALAI President Frank Gotzen and Professor Mihály Ficsor.

CISAC Director General Gadi Oron delivered the keynote speech on “Collective management of rights in a transforming market”. The keynote detailed how the digital market led to rapid transformation of CMOs while reiterating the need for collective administration of rights at the same time. The full keynote can be read here.