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European Authors’ Open Letter in support of the Copyright Directive

European Authors’ Open Letter in support of the Copyright Directive

A Europe fit for the next generation of creators

Dear Member of the European Parliament,

The undersigned organisations of authors – representing hundreds of thousands of voters who are writers, screenwriters, filmmakers, composers and songwriters – urge you to seize this once in a decade opportunity and support the successful adoption of the Copyright Directive. 

Since the last European elections, the European Commission, the European Parliament and Member States concluded that the European Union needed to modernise copyright in the Digital Age. Included in this debate was a conviction of the need to strengthen Europe’s authors by addressing the systemic weak bargaining position in negotiating contracts, and promoting fair remuneration.

Authors are at the very origin of the copyright value chain for Europe’s cultural and creative industries, which produce EUR 509 billion in value added to GDP, provide 7.5 % of the EU’s work force and significantly contribute to the EU economy in terms of employment, investment, growth, innovation and competitiveness on a global scale. Yet for the vast majority of authors, their careers are barely sustainable and poorly remunerated. The Parliament has played a decisive role in insisting that the Copyright Directive address this anomaly and has significantly improved the various provisions in the Directive which will benefit authors, and which we have supported. 

Throwing the Directive away now would not only reverse the European Parliament’s work to support authors but also be an unprecedented setback for all creators in Europe. Abandoning the Directive now would be a major victory for the major international players who ignore the damage caused to the creative industries by their dominant position and refuse the harmonisation and inclusion of basic standards of transparency and fairness in EU copyright legislation.

This Directive concerns the future of Europe’s cultures. The European Parliament played a key role in the negotiations ensuring future generations’ access to freedom of expression.

Please – adopt the Directive and send a strong signal to the future generations who want to write, compose, create so that they can be fairly remunerated.

Sincerely yours,

  • ACE, Spanish Writers’ Association, Spain – Manuel Rico Rego – President
    ADA, Austrian Directors Association, Austria – Jacob Groll and Jenny Gand – Co-chair
    ALMA, The Spanish Writers Guild, Spain – Alberto Macias – President
    AMA, Autores de Musica Asociados, Spain – Javier de Juan – President
  • ANAC — Associazione Nazionale dei Autori Cinematografici, Italy – Francesco Ranieri Martinotti – President
  • APR – ASSOCIAÇÃO PORTUGUESA DE REALIZADORES, Portugal – Filipa Reis – President
  • ARRF – Association des Réalisateurs et Réalisatrices de Films, Belgium – André Buytaers, Administrator
  • ARF/FDS – Swiss Filmmakers Association, Switzerland – Barbara Miller – President
  • Asociace spisovatelů, The Czech Writers Association, Czech Republic – Ondřej Lipár – Chairman
  • Association of Catalan Language Writers, Catalonia-Spain – Bel Olid Báez – President
  • Association des Auteurs de l’Audiovisuel (ASA), Belgium, Frédéric Castadot – President
  • Associazione dell’Autorialità Cinetelevisiva, 100autori, Italy – Stefano Sardo – President
  • BAFTRS – Bulgarian Association of the Film, Theater and Radio Scriptwriters, Bulgaria, President – Dr. Stanislav Semerdjiev
  • BAM!, Dutch Songwriters Society, Netherlands – Pieter Perquin – Chair
  • BASCA, British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – United Kingdom – Crispin Hunt – Chair
  • Bundesverband Regie e. V., Germany – Susann Reck, Marie Noelle, Axel Schill Bettina Schoeller-Bouju & Cornelia Grünberg, Executive Board
  • CC Composers Club e.V., Germany – John Groves – President
  • Croatian Film Directors’ Guild, Croatia – Danilo Šerbedžija, President
  • The Danish Composers’ Society, Denmark – Bent Sørensen – President
  • The Danish Authors Society, Denmark – Morten Visby – Chairman
  • The Danish Writers Guild, Denmark – Anders Busk – Kommunikationskonsulent
  • Danske Filminstruktører/Danish Film Directors, Denmark – Christina Rosendahl, President
  • Deutscher Komponistenverband, Germany – Dr. Enjott Schneider- President
  • DGCY – Directors Guild of Cyprus, Cyprus – Daina Papadaki, President
  • The Directors Guild of Slovenia – Slovenia – Urša Menart
  • Directors UK, United Kingdom – Andrew Chowns, CEO & Steve Smith, Chair
  • DJBFA, Composers and songwriters, Denmark – Susi Hyldgaard chairman and Anna Lidell vice chairman
  • Drehbuchverband Austria, Austrian Screenwriter Association, Austria – Christian Neubacher
  • DSR – Directors Guild of Slovenia, Slovenia – Urša Menart, Chair
  • DSR Screenwriters, Slovenia – Matevž Luzar
  • Dutch Directors Guild, The Netherlands – Martijn Winkler – Chairman
  • Dutch Writers Guild, The Netherlands, Maria Vlaar – Chair
  • ECSA, European Composer & Songwriter Alliance, Alfons Karabuda – President
  • ESPEK – Association of Greek Film Directors-Producers, Greece – Elina Psykou – President
  • Estonian Filmmakers Union, Estonia – Alvar Kõue – Chairman
  • EWC European Writers’ Council, Gunnar Ardelius – President
  • FAGA, Foro de Asociaciones de Quionistas audiovisuals, Ana Hormaechea, President
  • FEMA, Federación Espanola de Músicos Asociados, Spain – Iván García-Pelayo – International Affairs Reprensentative
  • FERA – Federation of European Film and TV Directors – Dan Clifton – Chair
  • FLAC, Fédération Luxembourgeoise des auteurs et compositeurs, Luxembourg – Roby Steinmetzer – President
  • Flemish Writers’ Association (Vlaamse Auteurs Vereniging, VAV), Belgium – Natalie Ariën – coordinator
  • Film Directors Guild of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan – Huseyn Mehdiyev – Chairman
  • The Finnish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild, Finland – Ms Sonia Meltt – Executive Director
  • The Finnish Music Creators FMC, Finland – Kaija Kärkinen – Chair of the Board
  • Galician Language Writers Association, Galicia-Spain – Cesáreo Sánchez Iglesias -President
  • The German Writers’ Union, Germany, Lena Falkenhagen –
  • La Guilde Française des Scénaristes, France, Denis Goulette – Executive Officer
  • Greek Directors’ Guild, Greece – Haris Papadopoulos – Chairman
  • Groupe 25 Images, France – Claire De La Rochefoucauld & Arnaud Selignac – Presidents
  • Hellenic Authors’ Society, Greece – Yiorgos Chouliaras – President
  • Hrvatsko društvo skladatelja, Croatian Composers Society, Croatia – Ante Pecotić – President
  • The Icelandic Dramatists Union, FLH (Félag leikskálda og handritshöfunda), Margrét Örnólfsdóttir, Chairman
  • IMAGO — International Federation of Cinematographers – Paul René Roestad – President
  • The Irish Writers’ Union, Ireland, Lissa Oliver & Phil Mac Giolla Bháin, Co-Chairpersons
  • Israel Directors Guild, Israel – Limor Pinhasov, Chairwoman
  • LARS – Luxembourgish Association of Film Directors and Scriptwriters, Luxembourg – Claude Lahr, President
  • Latvian Filmmakers Union, Latvia – Ieva Romanova – Chair
  • Lithuanian Filmmakers Union, Lithuania – Arūnas Matelis – President
  • Magyar Zeneszerzők Egyesülete, Hungarian Composers’ Union, Hungary – Máté Hollós – President
  • Musimagen – Asociation of Audiovisual composers of Spain, Darío Palomo – President
  • National Society of Greek Authors, Greece, Eleni Kekropoulou, Vice-President
  • Netwerk Scenarioschrijvers, the Netherlands, Pieter Bart Korthuis -Chairman
  • NFF – Norwegian Film Makers Association, Norway – Sverre Pedersen – President
  • NFR – Norske Filmregissører, Norway – Marianne Kleven, Chair
  • Nieuw Geneco, Nieuw Genootschap Nederlandse Componisten, Netherland – Felix Rottenberg – Chair, Esther Gottschalk – Director
  • NOPA – The Norwegian Society of Composers and Lyricists, Norway, Ingrid Kindem – Chair
  • Norsk Komponistforeningen, Norwegian Society of Composers, Norway, Jørgen Karlstrøm – Chairman of the Board
  • ÖGZM, Österreichische Gesellschaft für zeitgenössische Musik – Austria, Morgana Petrik – Präsident
  • ÖKB – Österreichischer Komponistenbund, Austria – Alexander Kukelka – President
  • PDM – Producers and Directors of Montenegro – Montenegro – Ivan Djurovic, President
  • Portuguese Society of Authors (SPA), Portugal, José Jorge Letria –
  • Rättighetsbolaget/Rights Manager of the Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film, Sweden – Anna Carlson, President
  • Sanasto – Finnish Literary Copyright Society, Finland – Anne Salomaa – Executive Director
  • Scenario, Switzerland – Jacqueline Surchat – Coordinator
  • SCGI, Screen Composers Guild of Ireland, Ireland – Sarah Glennane – CEO
  • SDGI –Screen Directors Guild of Ireland, Ireland-Maurice Sweeney – Chairman
  • Screenwriters Circle of the Polish Filmmakers Association, Poland, Maciej Karpinski – President
  • Scriptwriters Guild of Greece, Greece – Alexander Kakavas – President
  • SFP – Stowarzyszenie Filmowców Polskich/Polish Filmmakers Association, Poland – Jacek Bromski, President
  • SKAP – The Swedish Society of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, Sweden – Alfons Karabuda – Chair
  • SKL – Samtök kvikmyndaleikstjóra/Film Directors Guild of Iceland, Iceland – Dagur Kári Pétursson, Chairman
  • SNAC, Syndicat National des auteurs et des compositeurs, France – Pierre-André Athané – President
  • Society of Authors (SoA), United Kingdom, Nicola Solomon – Chief Executive
  • The Society of Finnish Composers, Finland – Antti Auvinen – Chairman of the Board
  • The Society of Slovene Composers, Slovenia, Nenad First – President
  • Society of Swedish Authors in Finland, Finland – Peter Sandström – President
  • SPID – Croatian screenwriters and playwrights guild, (Croatian screenwriters and playwrights guild), Croatia, Zinka Kiseljak – President
  • SRF – Société des Réalisateurs de Films, France – Marie Amachoukeli, Bertrand Bonello, Christophe Ruggia, Co-Presidents
  • Suomen elokuvaohjaajaliitto SELO ry, Finland – Sakari Kirjavainen, Chair
  • The Swedish Association of Educational Writers, Sweden – Wiwi Ahlberg, Chair-person
  • Swedish Film Directors, Sweden – Maria Eriksson-Hecht & Göran Du Rees – Presidents
  • The Swedish Writers’ Union, Sweden – Grethe Rottböll – President
  • Teaterförbundet – The Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film, Sweden – Simon Norrthon, President
  • Tónskáldafélag Íslands – Icelandic Composers’ Society, Þórunn Gréta Sigurðardóttir – Chairperson
  • UCMF, Union des Compositeurs de Musiques de Films, France, Béatrice Thiriet – Présidente
  • UNAC, Union Nationale des Auteurs et Compositeurs, France – Olivier Delevingne – President
  • U.N.C.L.A, Unione Nazionale Compositori Librettisti Autori, Italy, Giuseppe Amendola – Secretary General
  • Unie van Regisseurs vzw – Belgium/Flanders – Jin Berghmans, CEO
  • Verband Deutscher Drehbuchautoren e.V., Screenwriter’s Guild of Germany, Germany – Sebastian Andrae, Prof. Peter Henning – Executive Board Members
  • Vlaamse Scenaristengilde / Flemish Screenwriters Guild, Belgium – Michel Sabbe & Dirk Nielandt
  • WGGB, Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, UK – Ellie Peers – General Secretary, Gail Renard – Chair
  • Writers’ Guild of Ireland, Ireland – Thomas McLaughlin – Chairman
  • The Writers’ Guild of Norway, Norway, Monica Boracco – Chair
  • Writers Guild of Sweden, Sweden, Pia Gradvall – Chair
  • The Writers’ Union of Iceland – Iceland, Ragnheidur Tryggvadottir – Executive Manager
  • The Writers’ Union of Romania, Romania, Razvan Voncu – Director for International Programs
  • Zwiazek Polskich Autorow, Kompozytorow, Poland – Marek Hojda- Vice-President
  • Zwiazek Kompozytorow Polskich, The Polish Composers’ Union, Poland – Mieczyslaw Kominek Ph.D. – the President

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    European Authors’ Open Letter in Support of the Copyright Directive

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