On 5 and 6 September, PlayRight hosted a summit in Ghent in cooperation with SCAPR and AEPO-ARTIS. On the programme: the collective management of actors’ rights. 17 international collective management organisations participated in this summit. 

Over two days, the collective management organisations met to discuss topical issues facing actors in each country. The summot was an opportunity to learn from each other, exchange ideas, and work together to find solutions. 

Specifically, it addressed these six topical issues: 

1. The Beijing Treaty on audiovisual performances. This treaty leaves EU member states the choice for what concerns the right of broadcasting and communication to the public. Is a common position on the ratification of the Beijing Treaty possible? 

2. Retransmission Remunerations. In 2019, the European television market directive was updated to take greater account of modern technological developments. The existing rules for the television market date back to 1993, when the landscape of commercial broadcasters had only a few players, there was no digital television and certainly no television over the Internet. What impact does this updated directive on online retransmission have on existing remuneration schemes? Are these new forms of retransmission leading to additional remunerations for actors? 

3. Streaming. This form of exploitation has been booming for several years now. How do CMOs deal with it? How do they react to existing customers (e.g. broadcasters, cable distributors) who extend their activities by offering audiovisual content? 

4. Contractual Guidelines. What mandate are actor CMOs receiving from their members? Which rights are represented and to what extent do contracts with actors consider their membership with CMOs? 

5. Artificial Intelligence. AI has a major impact on the creative industries and actors in particular. Which developments can we identify as being a threat to our actor’s profession? Can AI be a partner in the effective collective management of our actor’s rights? How should actor CMOs react to the most recent developments? 

6. Visibility. Even though actors occupy the most prominent place on the screen, they are rarely seen as a full-fledged pillar of the audiovisual industry. This applies even more to their collective management organisation. How can we increase the visibility and footprint of actors’ rights and the CMOs they are represented by? 

PlayRight had the pleasure of participating in this summit. In a rapidly changing world, such meetings are crucial to shaping the future of neighbouring rights, especially actors’ rights. You can consult the official report, published by SCAPR and AEPO-ARTIS, via the button below.