VOIS participated in SCAPR working groups

The Societies’ Council for the Collective Management of Performers’ Rights (SCAPR) held sessional meetings of its working groups in Madrid (Spain) on 25-27 February, 2014. Mr. Eric Valdez-Martinez, the Deputy General Director of VOIS, participated in Rights Administration Working Group (RAWG), Legal Working Group (LWG), Cooperation and Development Working Group (CDWG).
During the work of RAWG most attention has been paid to harmonization and common approach to the agreements concluded between the organizations for collective management of related rights. The experts also discussed the procedure for accrual of remuneration to large groups, such as orchestras or choirs, and the system of work of the collective management society in Poland. VOIS was invited to hold a presentation of its methods of work in September of 2014.
The participants of LWG discussed the increase of the term of protection of phonograms published for commercial purposes from 50 to 70 years, the EU directive on collective management of copyright and related rights, judicial practice on various legal issues in different countries.
The participants of CDWG discussed the question of holding the inter-regional seminar in Moscow in June of 2014. The seminar will be held for collective management societies of CIS countries. This initiative of VOIS was willingly accepted by foreign colleagues. VOIS plans to invite to the seminar the representatives of the state bodies which supervise VOIS and representatives of organizations that protect the rights of film actors.
Within the framework of the sessional meetings Mr. E. Valdez-Martinez held negotiations with the representatives of SAMI (the Swedish organization for collective management of performers’ rights) and GVL (the German organization for collective management of related rights of performers and phonogram producers).
Mr. E. Valdez-Martinez: “We exchanged views on the work of the societies with foreign colleagues, discussed the possibility of cooperation and concluding agreements on mutual representation of interests. I think that the meetings with the representatives of the foreign collective management societies were fruitful. VOIS intends to take part in future SCAPR sessions”.