30/09/2014

WIPO Inaugurates New Conference Hall - Video

Geneva, September 23, 2014

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, high-level members of the Swiss and Geneva governments, and the international intellectual property (IP) community inaugurated WIPO’s new Conference Hall Monday evening in a celebration that transformed the speakers’ dais into a soundstage featuring globally renowned musicians.




French electronic music composer Jean-Michel Jarre, President of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), helped open the new center with a call to help creators.

"Creators around the world depend on rights and policies that protect their interests and guarantee a fair remuneration for them,” he said. “WIPO is where such rights and policies are discussed and agreed internationally. As President of CISAC, I call upon all WIPO member states to recognize the importance of creativity, not only to our culture, but also as a driver of global economic development. Now is the time to develop new and fruitful partnerships between creators, WIPO and its member states, leading to initiatives that would ensure a sustainable future for creators."

        

28/09/2014

Jean Michel Jarre on Culture, Creators and the Tech Industry

September 2014
By Catherine Jewell, Communications Division, WIPO

The digital revolution has radically transformed the creative industries, offering many new ways to tap into the cultural scene and reach global audiences. As consumers, we enjoy access to an ever-expanding choice of music, we can engage directly with our favorite artist through social media sites, and as music streaming and subscription services become mainstream, and the number of online recommendation services grows, we enjoy unprecedented opportunities for discovering new music.

(Photo: © Patrick Demarchelier)

While this is good news for industry and consumers, what does it all mean for creators?

According to a recent report by the International Confederation of Authors and Composers Societies (CISAC), worldwide royalty collections rose to a record high of 7.8 billion euros in 2012, but digital revenues, which amounted to 301 million euros that year, still only represent 4 percent of overall global collections. This suggests that creators are not getting a fair share of the digital market. Electronic music pioneer and champion of creators’ rights, Jean Michel Jarre, President of CISAC, believes artists need a new deal; one in which creators are on a more equal footing with the tech giants – the hardware manufacturers and the content carriers – whose ingenuity is fuelling the expansion of the online world. The musician shares his views about the importance of intellectual property (IP) and the need for the tech industry and creators to work together for mutual benefit to foster sustainable cultural development.

Despite the positive dynamics currently witnessed in the music industry, the threat of online piracy is ever present; something Jean Michel Jarre believes calls for a redoubling of efforts to improve the public’s understanding and awareness of IP.

"We need to send a clear message to the street that intellectual property is not just important for artists, it affects every single family with a son, a daughter, a brother or a sister dreaming of becoming a writer, a photographer, a musician, a film maker.


“If we don’t respect the rights of creators and give appropriate value to their work” he said “books will not be written and films and music will not be made”. “We will miss opportunities for future masterpieces… we need the next Fellini, the next Beethoven and the next Garcia Marquez.”

Creators are important to our future


“It’s far beyond a few artists sitting on their pot of gold trying to keep their advantages,” he continued, noting the broader social and economic benefits that can flow from robust IP rights. “We have to recognize that creators are a very important part of our future. Creation and all art forms make up the soul and the identity of a country, there is no sustainable development if there is no sustainable economy for creation.”

    Protect, invent, transmit − the future of culture depends on authors’ rights.
    Antón Patiño – painter – Spain

    Authors’ rights are the salary of the creator
    Monné Bou – visual artist – Ivory Coast

    Authors’ rights are really about respect
    Baz Luhrmann – film director – Australia

Underlining the vital economic contribution of creators, he said, “millions of jobs are created by artists all over the world. We forget they create lots of employment.” Stressing that creators play an integral part in a nation’s social, economic and cultural development, he noted, “we need to stop considering that music is like wallpaper” and “have to work together to define a sustainable economy for our culture.”

Copyrights fundamental importance


While, in some circles, the whole idea of copyright and the need to finance creation is being questioned, the artist observed that many emerging countries, including China, are recognizing copyright “not only as a stimulant for economic growth but also as the best way to export their culture and to reinforce their identity.”

Despite the huge opportunities created by the Internet in terms of accessing content, and the increasing appetite for free content, Mr. Jarre underlined the importance of finding ways for creators to be able to earn a living from their work. “Free access is one thing, but the economy of that free access is something else,” he explained. Drawing a parallel with existing arrangements with radio broadcasters, he noted, “when you listen to the radio, you listen to music for free, it’s not illegal, and artists get paid because the rights have been paid on top by the radio station, by the network. We should recognize now that everybody – and especially those commercial entities whose business it is to carry creative content - should pay.”

Underlining the fundamental importance of copyright, he countered the argument that copyright and authors’ rights are barriers to education. “It’s exactly the reverse,” he said. “You can have access to education only if you have books. To have books you need a system that rewards authors and encourages them to write these books. It’s totally naïve to think that free access will solve education challenges. It’s the exact opposite. Free access would discourage the creation of education materials. This idea that we are all brothers and sisters and should exchange everything for free is a fallacy. Nothing is ever free and if it is, it will always favor the richest.”

Jean Michel Jarre’s high-tech, futuristic, open-air concert in Monaco in 2011 was broadcast internationally attracting a huge following. (Photo: © Jarre Management – Aero Productions)

A new deal for creators


Mr. Jarre believes creators and artists need to engage with content carriers to carve out a new deal for themselves in the ever-expanding digital economy. This, he claims is the only way to safeguard their long-term interests and to secure sustainable cultural development.

He believes the time is now ripe to sit down with telecoms companies, hardware manufacturers and digital content distributors to work out a balanced and reasonable business model that works for creators. “They need us as much as we need them,” he noted, highlighting the fact that artists are, in fact, in a much stronger negotiating position than they think. It is their work that is contributing to the economic success and power of high-tech giants who themselves face challenges arising from the shifting sands of the market and public opinion.

“The people making the most money from what we create are not consumers but the people carrying our content. They are not paying what they should pay. Our content makes their fortunes and gives them their power. It’s like a company not paying its shareholders.” Artists, he said, should be treated as equal partners and remunerated as such. “We are not talking about a tax or a contribution - we are not beggars - we are business partners with Google, Facebook, with all these other businesses that make fortunes from providing access to our content. At the end of the day, it’s quite simple, the money is somewhere and there are people deserving this money, so we have to sit around a table and find a solution, and we’ll find it.”

“We have to create a new business model for the new media and the new distribution networks,” he said. “We need to stop considering the big actors of the Internet as our enemies. These guys didn’t exist 20 years ago, they were kids who created great concepts that became so big, so fast, they didn’t have time to realize the potential collateral damage they were creating. They are friends of creators much more than we think.”

As President of CISAC, Mr. Jarre is committed to promoting authors’ rights around the world. Although musicians regularly take up political and social causes, they have been noticeably silent in fighting their own corner. “This is why our sector is so vulnerable. Creators are full of doubts and uncertainty. The most difficult thing for an artist is to evaluate his or her work. When it comes to finance or business, it’s very difficult for creators to defend themselves and to speak out.”

Rendez-Vous Houston: A City in Concert, a live performance in 2012, by Jean Michel Jarre entered the Guiness Book of Records as the largest outdoor rock concert in history. (Photo: © Jarre Management – Aero Productions)

Despite, the challenges relating to changing public perceptions about the importance of IP and creating a 21st century business model that works for creators, Mr. Jarre is upbeat about the future. “The creative sector is far stronger than artists themselves think. Artists and creators existed before electricity and they will exist long after the Internet.”

“My goal is to make both creators and citizens, ambassadors of intellectual property.” While at first sight this seems a daunting task, Jean Michel Jarre is optimistic about his chances of success. “How many people say they would have loved to be a musician, a film maker or a writer but some social or economic reason prevented them from doing so? We have to improve this, we have to encourage people to create and we have to establish the conditions that promise creative people a reward for their creativity in the digital world. We are in the 21st century and need to get this right,” he said. “As musicians we know how to make a noise, so let’s do it!”


       

26/09/2014

CISAC hebt Diskussion ums Urheberrecht auf die WIPO-Agenda

 26.09.2014

Diskutierten beim WIPO-Jahrestreffen in Genf (von links): Hervé Di Rosa (Visual Artist), Filmproduzentin Angèle Diabang, Drehbuchautorin Daphna Levin, CISAC-Geschäftsführer Gadi Oron, WIPO-Geschäftsführer Francis Gurry, CISAC-Präsident Jean Michel Jarre, Drehbuchautor und Filmregisseur Vinod Ranganath, Songwriter Eddie Schwartz und der Journalist Tom Burges Watson, der die Runde moderierte (Bild: CISAC, Eilon Paz)

Jean Michel Jarre, Präsident der Confédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Auteurs et Compositeurs (CISAC) und der kanadische Songwriter Eddie Schwartz machten sich bei der Vollversammlung der World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Genf für die Interessen der Urheber stark. Bei einem eigens einberufenen Spitzentreffen mit zahlreichen Autoren und Rechteinhabern sowie WIPO-Offiziellen und Repräsentanten aus der Politik forderten sie am 23. September 2014 eine faire Vergütung kreativer Leistungen. Beim Jahrestreffen der Weltorganisation für geistiges Eigentum kommen rund 1000 Delegierte aus 187 Nationen zusammen.

"Der Verkauf von einer Million Platten hätte mir einst ein nach Mitteklassemaßstäben bequemes Auskommen und einen Platin-Award beschert", erinnerte sich Eddie Schwartz Wenn er sich heute die Abrechnung seiner Digitaleinnahmen ansehe, brächten eine Million Streams gerade einmal noch 35 Dollar: "Mein wirtschaftlicher Mitteklassestatus sinkt damit auf das Niveau einer Pizza."


Machte sich bei der WIPO für die Belange der Kreativen stark: CISAC-Präsident Jean Michel Jarre (Bild: CISAC, Eilon Paz)
Jean Michel Jarre mahnte die Gesetzgeber, dass viele internationale Großkonzerne massive Gewinne erzielen würden, indem sie den Nutzern in der digitalen Welt Zugriff auf kreative Werke ermöglichen würden. So sei es Künstlern und Kreativen aus aller Welt zwar erstmals möglich, mit ihrer Arbeit potenziell ein weltweites Publikum zu erreichen, aber dennoch "sind wir auf Geschäftsmodelle angewiesen, die für alle Parteien Sinn ergeben".

Auch der erst kürzlich zum CISAC-Geschäftsführer aufgestiegene Gadi Oron machte klar, dass sich die Autoren und Kreativen der gewaltigen Möglichkeiten bewusst seien, die der digitale Markt ihnen eröffnet. "Doch wir müssen sicherstellen können, dass all die Vorteile digitaler Technologien auch mit denen geteilt werden, die für die Inhalte sorgen." Das Urheberrecht stehe jedoch international unter Beschuss. "Es ist von großer Bedeutung, dass die Entscheidungsträger die Marktrealitäten erkenn. Sie sollten ihre Macht einsetzen um sicherzustellen, dass Kreative auch weiterhin ihren Lebensunterhalt mit ihrer Arbeit bestreiten können und dass die Digitalisierung nicht nur wenigen machtvollen Onlineplayern in die Taschen spielt."

Source: mediabiz.de

CISAC Takes Digital Royalties Issue to the UN

2014-09-26




Panel of Creators led by CISAC President Jean Michel Jarre State their Case at UN Agency for Urgent Digital Royalties Policy Reforms 

Paris, France – September 26, 2014 – Speaking at the General Assembly of World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva, a group of creators led by CISAC President Jean Michel Jarre invited policy-makers to help build a fairer and more sustainable digital economy for creators.

During one of the panel discussions, Canadian songwriter Eddie Schwartz stated “Sales of one million records would at one time have paid me a modest middle class income and I would have received a Platinum Record. Looking at my digital royalty statements today, for one million streams I get $35. My middle class economic status has been reduced to a pizza.”

WIPO, a specialized UN agency charged with the development of copyright laws and policies, is holding its annual General Assembly this week. Around 1000 officials from 187 countries, including Ministers of Culture, ambassadors and high level government officials attend the meeting to discuss the agenda and priorities of the agency for the next year. On that occasion, CISAC, the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers, organized on September 23 a special session devoted to the challenges creators face in the digital market.

Presented with evidence showing the scarcity of revenues from the use of music on streaming platforms, policy-makers were urged to address the issue of the remuneration of creators in the digital age.

CISAC’s president, French electronic music composer Jean Michel Jarre, called upon decision-makers to ensure that the creators get a fair share of the massive revenues generated by online companies that provide access to creative works. He pointed out that creators are at the centre of the digital economy and that developing sustainable business models with digital intermediaries will be essential to securing a fair share of the value chain generated by creative works. “We, as creators, are pro-technology. We embrace it and welcome the wider access to culture that digital devices and services afford the public, and the opportunity to reach wider audiences that technology affords creators. But we need business models that make sense to all parties,” said Jarre.

“For the first time in history we have global platforms that can distribute creative content from virtually anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world,” said Schwartz. “Thanks to the Internet, African, Latin and South American and Asian music creators have instantaneous and universal access to the same European and North American audiences and consumers that I as a Canadian songwriter have had access to over the course of my professional life. But ironically, of what value is this unprecedented access if the music is virtually worthless?” Schwartz added: “If the revenues don’t flow back to creators, while the shareholders and CEOs of companies who deny the value of music enjoy literally billions in profits, surely something is terribly wrong.”

Gadi Oron, Director General of CISAC, commented about the event: “For the first time, CISAC and its creators’ community made the case loud and clear and explained the major challenges faced by creators today. We are all aware of the huge potential in the digital market for artists from all corners of the world. But we need to guarantee that the benefits of digital technologies are shared with those who create the content. At a time when the international copyright system is under attack and against the backdrop of a strong push for exceptions to rights and a lower level of protection for creators, it is important that decision makers are made aware of market realities. They should use their power to ensure creators can continue to make a living from their work and that the digital market does not benefit only a few powerful online players”.

Source: cisac.org

WIPO Inaugurates New Conference Hall - September 23, 2014


Geneva,

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, high-level members of the Swiss and Geneva governments, and the international intellectual property (IP) community inaugurated WIPO’s new Conference Hall Monday evening in a celebration that transformed the speakers’ dais into a soundstage featuring globally renowned musicians.

WIPO’s new 1,600 square meter Conference Hall features some 900 seats, state-of-the-art interpretation and projection facilities and pine and oak construction material sourced mainly from Switzerland.



“The new Conference Hall has been warmly greeted as a beautiful new addition to International Geneva,” Mr. Gurry said. “It floats between the original WIPO tower and our new building. As a cantilever construction, it expresses balance, the key to success in multilateralism.”

Delegates from WIPO’s 187 member states were gathered in Geneva for the annual WIPO Assemblies, taking place September 22-30, 2014.

The WIPO Assemblies were being held for the first time in the new conference center, a notable new feature on Geneva’s Place des Nations that completes WIPO’s major construction plans. When the Conference Hall is not being used for WIPO meetings, it will be available for use by other parties.

Speaking on behalf of the Geneva Government, Mr. François Longchamp, President of the Council of State, Republic and State of Geneva, said by virtue of its geographical location, and the “audacity of its architectural choices,” WIPO stands out. “The Conference Hall that we are inaugurating today completes the assets of International Geneva.” He said the shape of the new Conference Hall “is not trivial” as the structure appears to be floating above the ground. “The image is telling,” he noted, adding that architecture is not only about function, but also “illustrates a spirit and translates an ambition.” Mr. Longchamp said this Conference Hall is not only at the service of WIPO, but all. “To those who wanted this Conference Hall, to those who conceived it and to those who built it, the Geneva Government sends its profound gratitude.”

“We are excited to celebrate together the inauguration of the New Conference Hall for the World Intellectual Property Organization,” said the architect of the new Conference Hall, Mr. Stefan Behnisch, of Germany-based Behnisch Architekten. “This event marks the completion of WIPO’s building ensemble. The client’s decision to build such a contemporary wooden structure showcases a sustainable, responsible approach to design and realize such highly functional buildings.”

French electronic music composer Jean-Michel Jarre, President of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), helped open the new center with a call to help creators.

"Creators around the world depend on rights and policies that protect their interests and guarantee a fair remuneration for them,” he said. “WIPO is where such rights and policies are discussed and agreed internationally. As President of CISAC, I call upon all WIPO member states to recognize the importance of creativity, not only to our culture, but also as a driver of global economic development. Now is the time to develop new and fruitful partnerships between creators, WIPO and its member states, leading to initiatives that would ensure a sustainable future for creators."


After opening speeches, delegates and other guests enjoyed musical performances by Peru’s Susana Baca and Senegal’s Ismael Lô, whose bands turned the space intended for diplomatic proceedings into a concert hall reverberating with rhythms from around the world.

“We are very pleased that both Susana Baca and Ismael Lô could join us on this occasion,” said Mr. Gurry. “Both are award-winning artists who are actively involved in promoting creators’ rights in their own countries and abroad.” He added: “They both reflect the cultural diversity of the world; their fusion of Latin American and African influences made the evening a worthy tribute to this new hall where so many multilateral discussions will take place.”

The new Conference Hall gives priority to sustainability, using local wood, natural light, hybrid ventilation combining natural and mechanical means, and a cooling system drawing water from Lake Léman.

Around and below the Conference Hall, new facilities include a press room, a telecommunication room and all the facilities to service meetings in the new hall.  In addition, the project included the renovation of several areas of the main headquarters building, in particular the creation of five additional meeting rooms for group and bilateral meetings, as well as an expanded lobby which is now more accommodating for exhibitions and showcases of artists, as well as other IP-related activities sponsored by WIPO member states.  Construction began in August 2011.

Source: wipo.int/pressroom

More photo from
gallery.cisac.org




















IPTC Copyright Copyright Eilon Paz

World-renowned Creators Call on Policymakers to Take Action at UN's WIPO General Assembly


2014-09-23


Musicians, film directors, screenwriters and visual artists stress the need to protect creators' rights in the shifting paradigm of the digital age

Paris, France – 24th September 2014 - For the first time, the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) welcomed internationally-renowned creators to speak at their 54th General Assemblies.

Organised by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), a panel discussion included an international delegation of creators who came to the United Nations agency to discuss the most pressing issues facing creators worldwide today — how to achieve a fair and sustainable creative ecosystem in the digital age, the importance of respecting creators’ rights and the urgent need for an open dialogue with all stakeholders, in particular key players from the digital sector.


Addressing a room of ministers, ambassadors and diplomats, Francis Gurry, Director General of WIPO, emphasised the pivotal role that the organization plays in shaping international intellectual property rules: “Against the background of profound change in the digital environment, there has never been a more suitable time to discuss how to ensure a sustainable future for authors and composers,” said Gurry. “It is therefore fitting that WIPO hosts this discussion, and we are grateful to CISAC for assembling a culturally diverse panel of international renown to discuss a topic important for us all.”

He also stressed the importance of creativity as a source of economic development, especially in developing countries, a position echoed by a study published by CISAC prior to WIPO’s General Assembly. Titled “The Creative Industries and the BRICS”, the study highlights the tremendous potential within the largest developing economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to increase their creative industries’ contribution to job creation, sustainable business models and a healthy economy. It also lays out a comprehensive action plan for policymakers to provide supportive measures for creative industries in these countries.

Jean Michel Jarre, internationally renowned electronic music composer and President of CISAC was joined by visual artist Hervé Di Rosa, also from France, Angèle Diabang, Senegalese film director, Eddie Schwartz, Canadian songwriter, Vinod Ranganath, Indian playwright, screenwriter and director and Daphna Levin, Israeli screenwriter and director.

Mr. Jarre raised several key issues, in particular the need to develop innovative business models that fairly remunerate creators and open the doors to new partnerships with the digital sector. He pointed out that creators are at the centre of the digital economy and that developing sustainable business models with digital intermediaries is essential. “We creators are pro-technology. We embrace it and welcome the wider access to culture that digital devices and services afford the public, and the opportunity to reach wider audiences that technology affords creators. But we need business models that make sense to all parties,” he said.

Speaking on the need for a solid legal framework on which to build the creative economy, Mr. Jarre said, “Creators and policymakers have an opportunity to work together to shape policies that reflect the intrinsic value of the creative industries, ensuring fair remuneration and, by extension, a sustainable and dynamic growth for each stakeholder of the creative chain, from the artist to the distributor.”

Ms. Diabang agreed, pointing out that a favourable legislative framework in Europe can act as an example of what should be done elsewhere, but if creators’ rights are weakened and undervalued in the European arena, the reverberations will be felt throughout the world.

Mr. Di Rosa addressed the importance of the resale right for visual artists, signalling the urgent need for a new international treaty on this issue. This treaty should make the resale right mandatory around the world, to ensure that visual artists, no matter where they live or where their works are sold, can earn a percentage from the resale of their work.

Highlighting the relative weakness of creators’ bargaining positions as individuals, both Mr. Ranganath and Ms. Levin spoke about the importance of collective management of rights and the vital role that collective management organisations (CMOs) play — and must continue to play — in protecting the rights of creators and ensuring their interests are promoted.

Mr. Schwartz focused on fair remuneration for creators, and specifically, how to develop fair and sustainable compensation models while ensuring that the business of digital partners is not unduly put at risk. That question is at the centre of a new study commissioned by the music creators alliance Music Creators North America (MCNA) and endorsed by CISAC. The study’s findings will be published during the Congress of the International Council of Music Authors (CIAM) in Nashville, Tennessee on October 22 and 23, 2014.














Source: cisac.org
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