Hosted by the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), the Copyright Summit – slogan: ‘Creators First’ – will place the emphasis on authorship and aim to solve some of the most contentious riddles that digital media have hurled into the public arena:
- What rights will creators have for their works in the 21st Century?
- How will works be created, produced and disseminated in years to come?
- Is it time for a new deal between creators, the entertainment industry and content providers?
- How do copyright and authors’ societies meet the needs of the digital society?
Representatives will come from every part of the infrastructure involved in authorship, digital reproduction and distribution, including telecom firms, broadcasters and hardware manufacturers. Notable cheerleaders from the creative end of the spectrum include filmmaker and Director’s Guild of America president, Michael Apted; singer-songwriter, Billy Bragg, and singer-actor, Charles Aznavour. Renowned cyber-law thinker, Professor Lawrence Lessig, will be on hand to offer his views on the legal framework of our digital future.
CISAC director general, Eric Baptiste, said in a press release: ‘The decisions taken today will influence the economic models of tomorrow's world and the livelihood of rights-owners. The 2007 Summit will serve as the ideal platform for straight talking and open discussions between authors, their collective management societies and the different parties involved in the value chain of the cultural industries, not to forget the political decision-makers and regulators.
‘At a time marked by massive changes in the way people access culture, as well as the unprecedented worldwide craving for intellectual works, it lies in the common interest to find win-win solutions for everyone, and the quicker, the better.’
