The CISAC General Assembly held on May 30th in Seoul and hosted by the Sister Society of South Korea KOMCA, on occasion of its 60th years anniversary, concluded with great success while recording a large attendance of representatives of Organizations from all over the world.
AUTODIA was represented by the BoD Chairman Yiannis Glezos and the CEO Margarita Panagiotopoulou, who met with representatives from the entire spectrum of the global collective management sector and participated in the social events hosted as part of the GA.
The economic value and influence of the creative industry
“Culture is power. Art is not only about our identity, pride or prestige. It attracts investment. It generates economic value. And it gives influence.” With these phrases CISAC Director General Gadi Oron summed up the essence of his opening speech.
A successful example is South Korea, which has highlighted the extraordinary economic potential of the creative industry and has practically recognized the importance of creators’ strong intellectual property rights, through the so-called 'Hallyu' Cultural Wave; the explosion in worldwide popularity of South Korean contemporary culture, begun in the 1990s, with the popular pop music K-pop' (BTS, Stray Kids, Blackpink, etc.) the television series and the cinema with great box-office success internationally.
Legislation & licensing of AI tools
Efforts to define AI-generated content, but also the best legislative options for the creative sector were explored in AI-focused panels and speeches.
In fact, both the need for clearer regulations and the importance of balancing rapid technological progress with the protection of authors' rights were highlighted. “Creative industries are being asked to work more intensively on the topic of AI to protect creators’ rights in the coming months”, said CISAC President and composer Björn Ulvaeus.
“Twelve months ago, our discussions on AI were about principles. Now the debate has moved on. Legislation is upon us. the EU AI Directive has provided a great framework and an example to the world. Now we need to work harder than ever to secure similar outcomes in other jurisdictions: the US, Japan, Brazil, Canada. And, of course, here in Korea”.
Five Societies, CISAC Members, from Brazil (UBC), Germany (GEMA), Japan (JASRAC), Poland (ZAPA) and the UK (ALCS) presented ways in which policy makers are approaching legislation and the licensing of AI tools, with a number of different licensing options and regimes to explore. All the speakers agreed that there is a need for a wider, international coordination and a political approach by governments, which should put creators’ rights at the negotiating table of the global market.