Creative Solutions

Before I get onto that, I really do have to thank everyone who accepted our invitations to speak as well as all of those who attended.  I hope you all found it productive. One of things that we wanted to achieve was a logical flow from the work and role of an author practically speaking to the work and role of an author in the online world.  I really felt that we achieved that. Above all we wanted to give the authors themselves the opportunity to say in their own words how they feel they fit into their industry and the opening online world.  I thought Paul Powell’s keynote really put this into perspective (here).  It was interesting to hear his reasoning behind going into production too.  All of the authors brought their experience of different countries systems and their experience of collective management to the table and I think, for all the differences, the one common theme was the need for fair and transparent remuneration. The final session, “Creative Solutions”, showed just how cooperation among different players can help find solutions.  If anything it also showed that there is not necessarily a European one-size-fits-all solution, something that I think reinforces the strength of our proposal for a collectively managed unwaivable remuneration right for online exploitation of works which really should act as a safety net for authors who are not already protected by strong collective agreements. I was delighted to see how much support our call for action and cooperation received both from the officials and other actors in the sector.  If we are going to create a thriving online market for European works which benefits authors then collective discussions and solutions are essential.  The whole day makes me very positive about the future. If that wasn’t enough, “Les Neiges du Kilimandjaro” was excellent and a great way to end the day. CD

PS – photos up on the site now too.  Have a look here.