IFRRO calls for governmental action to protect Spanish rightholders

The IFRRO General Assembly at its meeting in Buenos Aires on 25 October passed a resolution highlighting the dire situation in Spain regarding private copying remuneration, educational licensing and public lending remuneration. It called upon the Spanish government to take the necessary legislative action to ensure that Spanish law complied with EU legislation and that the rights of rightholders were respected.

In a complementary move, the IFRRO European Group (IFRRO EG), which provides a forum for the IFRRO Members from states whose governments are members of the Council of Europe, passed a resolution requesting the European Commission DG Internal Market and Services to initiate proceedings towards the Spanish Government to urgently modify its legislation to make it compliant with current European Union norms and regulations. At the same time the IFRRO EG asked the Commission to take similar action towards other EU Member States which have failed to fully implement the EU Directive on rental and lending.

The IFRRO EG also discussed IFRRO’s position on the Collective Rights Management directive proposed by the EC – a position will soon be posted on the IFRRO website – and elected a new EG Executive Committee: Kevin Fitzgerald of CLA (Chair) and Anders Rasch of COPYDAN and Robert Staats of VG Wort as Vice Chairs.

Click here for copies of the IFRRO AGM Resolution and the IFRRO EG Resolution.