European Authors’ Open Letter in Support of the Copyright Directive

Here is the text of the letter in full:

Dear Member of the European Parliament,

The undersigned organisations of authors – representing hundreds of thousands of voters who are writers, screenwriters, filmmakers, composers and songwriters – urge you to seize this once in a decade opportunity and support the successful adoption of the Copyright Directive.

Since the last European elections, the European Commission, the European Parliament and Member States concluded that the European Union needed to modernise copyright in the Digital Age. Included in this debate was a conviction of the need to strengthen Europe’s authors by addressing the systemic weak bargaining position in negotiating contracts, and promoting fair remuneration.

Authors are at the very origin of the copyright value chain for Europe’s cultural and creative industries, which produce EUR 509 billion in value added to GDP, provide 7.5 % of the EU’s work force and significantly contribute to the EU economy in terms of employment, investment, growth, innovation and competitiveness on a global scale. Yet for the vast majority of authors, their careers are barely sustainable and poorly remunerated. The Parliament has played a decisive role in insisting that the Copyright Directive address this anomaly and has significantly improved the various provisions in the Directive which will benefit authors, and which we have supported.

Throwing the Directive away now would not only reverse the European Parliament’s work to support authors but also be an unprecedented setback for all creators in Europe. Abandoning the Directive now would be a major victory for the major international players who ignore the damage caused to the creative industries by their dominant position and refuse the harmonisation and inclusion of basic standards of transparency and fairness in EU copyright legislation.

This Directive concerns the future of Europe’s cultures. The European Parliament played a key role in the negotiations ensuring future generations’ access to freedom of expression.

Please – adopt the Directive and send a strong signal to the future generations who want to write, compose, create so that they can be fairly remunerated.

Sincerely yours,

1. ACE, Spanish Writers’ Association, Spain – Manuel Rico Rego – President
2. ADA, Austrian Directors Association, Austria – Jacob Groll and Jenny Gand – Co-chair
3. ALMA, The Spanish Writers Guild, Spain – Alberto Macias – President
4. AMA, Autores de Musica Asociados, Spain – Javier de Juan – President
5. ANAC — Associazione Nazionale dei Autori Cinematografici, Italy – Francesco Ranieri Martinotti – President
6. APR – ASSOCIAÇÃO PORTUGUESA DE REALIZADORES, Portugal – Filipa Reis – President
7. ARRF – Association des Réalisateurs et Réalisatrices de Films, Belgium – André Buytaers, Administrator
8. ARF/FDS – Swiss Filmmakers Association, Switzerland – Barbara Miller – President
9. Asociace spisovatelů, The Czech Writers Association, Czech Republic – Ondřej Lipár – Chairman
10. Association of Catalan Language Writers, Catalonia-Spain – Bel Olid Báez – President
11. Association des Auteurs de l’Audiovisuel (ASA), Belgium, Frédéric Castadot – President
12. Associazione dell’Autorialità Cinetelevisiva, 100autori, Italy – Stefano Sardo – President
13. BAFTRS – Bulgarian Association of the Film, Theater and Radio Scriptwriters, Bulgaria, President – Dr. Stanislav Semerdjiev
14. BAM!, Dutch Songwriters Society, Netherlands – Pieter Perquin – Chair
15. BASCA, British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – United Kingdom – Crispin Hunt – Chair
16. Bundesverband Regie e. V., Germany – Susann Reck, Marie Noelle, Axel Schill Bettina Schoeller-Bouju & Cornelia Grünberg, Executive Board
17. CC Composers Club e.V., Germany – John Groves – President
18. Croatian Film Directors’ Guild, Croatia – Danilo Šerbedžija, President
19. The Danish Composers’ Society, Denmark – Bent Sørensen – President
20. The Danish Authors Society, Denmark – Morten Visby – Chairman
21. The Danish Writers Guild, Denmark – Anders Busk – Kommunikationskonsulent
22. Danske Filminstruktører/Danish Film Directors, Denmark – Christina Rosendahl, President
23. Deutscher Komponistenverband, Germany – Dr. Enjott Schneider- President
24. DGCY – Directors Guild of Cyprus, Cyprus – Daina Papadaki, President
25. The Directors Guild of Slovenia – Slovenia – Urša Menart
26. Directors UK, United Kingdom – Andrew Chowns, CEO & Steve Smith, Chair
27. DJBFA, Composers and songwriters, Denmark – Susi Hyldgaard chairman and Anna Lidell vice chairman
28. Drehbuchverband Austria, Austrian Screenwriter Association, Austria – Christian Neubacher
29. DSR – Directors Guild of Slovenia, Slovenia – Urša Menart, Chair
30. DSR Screenwriters, Slovenia – Matevž Luzar
31. Dutch Directors Guild, The Netherlands – Martijn Winkler – Chairman
32. Dutch Writers Guild, The Netherlands, Maria Vlaar – Chair
33. ECSA, European Composer & Songwriter Alliance, Alfons Karabuda – President
34. ESPEK – Association of Greek Film Directors-Producers, Greece – Elina Psykou – President
35. Estonian Filmmakers Union, Estonia – Alvar Kõue – Chairman
36. EWC European Writers’ Council, Gunnar Ardelius – President
37. FAGA, Foro de Asociaciones de Quionistas audiovisuals, Ana Hormaechea, President
38. FEMA, Federación Espanola de Músicos Asociados, Spain – Iván García-Pelayo – International Affairs Reprensentative
39. FERA – Federation of European Film and TV Directors – Dan Clifton – Chair
40. FLAC, Fédération Luxembourgeoise des auteurs et compositeurs, Luxembourg – Roby Steinmetzer – President
41. Flemish Writers’ Association (Vlaamse Auteurs Vereniging, VAV), Belgium – Natalie Ariën – coordinator
42. Film Directors Guild of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan – Huseyn Mehdiyev – Chairman
43. The Finnish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild, Finland – Ms Sonia Meltt – Executive Director
44. The Finnish Music Creators FMC, Finland – Kaija Kärkinen – Chair of the Board
45. Galician Language Writers Association, Galicia-Spain – Cesáreo Sánchez Iglesias -President
46. The German Writers’ Union, Germany, Lena Falkenhagen –
47. La Guilde Française des Scénaristes, France, Denis Goulette – Executive Officer
48. Greek Directors’ Guild, Greece – Haris Papadopoulos – Chairman
49. Groupe 25 Images, France – Claire De La Rochefoucauld & Arnaud Selignac – Presidents
50. Hellenic Authors’ Society, Greece – Yiorgos Chouliaras – President
51. Hrvatsko društvo skladatelja, Croatian Composers Society, Croatia – Ante Pecotić – President
52. The Icelandic Dramatists Union, FLH (Félag leikskálda og handritshöfunda), Margrét Örnólfsdóttir, Chairman
53. IMAGO — International Federation of Cinematographers – Paul René Roestad – President
54. The Irish Writers’ Union, Ireland, Lissa Oliver & Phil Mac Giolla Bháin, Co-Chairpersons
55. Israel Directors Guild, Israel – Limor Pinhasov, Chairwoman
56. LARS – Luxembourgish Association of Film Directors and Scriptwriters, Luxembourg – Claude Lahr, President
57. Latvian Filmmakers Union, Latvia – Ieva Romanova – Chair
58. Lithuanian Filmmakers Union, Lithuania – Arūnas Matelis – President
59. Magyar Zeneszerzők Egyesülete, Hungarian Composers’ Union, Hungary – Máté Hollós – President
60. Musimagen – Asociation of Audiovisual composers of Spain, Darío Palomo – President
61. National Society of Greek Authors, Greece, Eleni Kekropoulou, Vice-President
62. Netwerk Scenarioschrijvers, the Netherlands, Pieter Bart Korthuis -Chairman
63. NFF – Norwegian Film Makers Association, Norway – Sverre Pedersen – President
64. NFR – Norske Filmregissører, Norway – Marianne Kleven, Chair
65. Nieuw Geneco, Nieuw Genootschap Nederlandse Componisten, Netherland – Felix Rottenberg – Chair, Esther Gottschalk – Director
66. NOPA – The Norwegian Society of Composers and Lyricists, Norway, Ingrid Kindem – Chair
67. Norsk Komponistforeningen, Norwegian Society of Composers, Norway, Jørgen Karlstrøm – Chairman of the Board
68. ÖGZM, Österreichische Gesellschaft für zeitgenössische Musik – Austria, Morgana Petrik – Präsident
69. ÖKB – Österreichischer Komponistenbund, Austria – Alexander Kukelka – President
70. PDM – Producers and Directors of Montenegro – Montenegro – Ivan Djurovic, President
71. Portuguese Society of Authors (SPA), Portugal, José Jorge Letria –
72. Rättighetsbolaget/Rights Manager of the Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film, Sweden – Anna Carlson, President
73. Sanasto – Finnish Literary Copyright Society, Finland – Anne Salomaa – Executive Director
74. Scenario, Switzerland – Jacqueline Surchat – Coordinator
75. SCGI, Screen Composers Guild of Ireland, Ireland – Sarah Glennane – CEO
76. SDGI –Screen Directors Guild of Ireland, Ireland-Maurice Sweeney – Chairman
77. Screenwriters Circle of the Polish Filmmakers Association, Poland, Maciej Karpinski – President
78. Scriptwriters Guild of Greece, Greece – Alexander Kakavas – President
79. SFP – Stowarzyszenie Filmowców Polskich/Polish Filmmakers Association, Poland – Jacek Bromski, President
80. SKAP – The Swedish Society of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, Sweden – Alfons Karabuda – Chair
81. SKL – Samtök kvikmyndaleikstjóra/Film Directors Guild of Iceland, Iceland – Dagur Kári Pétursson, Chairman
82. SNAC, Syndicat National des auteurs et des compositeurs, France – Pierre-André Athané – President
83. Society of Authors (SoA), United Kingdom, Nicola Solomon – Chief Executive
84. The Society of Finnish Composers, Finland – Antti Auvinen – Chairman of the Board
85. The Society of Slovene Composers, Slovenia, Nenad First – President
86. Society of Swedish Authors in Finland, Finland – Peter Sandström – President
87. SPID – Croatian screenwriters and playwrights guild, (Croatian screenwriters and playwrights guild), Croatia, Zinka Kiseljak – President
88. SRF – Société des Réalisateurs de Films, France – Marie Amachoukeli, Bertrand Bonello, Christophe Ruggia, Co-Presidents
89. Suomen elokuvaohjaajaliitto SELO ry, Finland – Sakari Kirjavainen, Chair
90. The Swedish Association of Educational Writers, Sweden – Wiwi Ahlberg, Chair-person
91. Swedish Film Directors, Sweden – Maria Eriksson-Hecht & Göran Du Rees – Presidents
92. The Swedish Writers’ Union, Sweden – Grethe Rottböll – President
93. Teaterförbundet – The Swedish Union for Performing Arts and Film, Sweden – Simon Norrthon, President
94. Tónskáldafélag Íslands – Icelandic Composers’ Society, Þórunn Gréta Sigurðardóttir – Chairperson
95. UCMF, Union des Compositeurs de Musiques de Films, France, Béatrice Thiriet – Présidente
96. UNAC, Union Nationale des Auteurs et Compositeurs, France – Olivier Delevingne – President
97. U.N.C.L.A, Unione Nazionale Compositori Librettisti Autori, Italy, Giuseppe Amendola – Secretary General
98. Unie van Regisseurs vzw – Belgium/Flanders – Jin Berghmans, CEO
99. Verband Deutscher Drehbuchautoren e.V., Screenwriter’s Guild of Germany, Germany – Sebastian Andrae, Prof. Peter Henning – Executive Board Members
100. Vlaamse Scenaristengilde / Flemish Screenwriters Guild, Belgium – Michel Sabbe & Dirk Nielandt
101. WGGB, Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, UK – Ellie Peers – General Secretary, Gail Renard – Chair
102. Writers’ Guild of Ireland, Ireland – Thomas McLaughlin – Chairman
103. The Writers’ Guild of Norway, Norway, Monica Boracco – Chair
104. Writers Guild of Sweden, Sweden, Pia Gradvall – Chair
105. The Writers’ Union of Iceland – Iceland, Ragnheidur Tryggvadottir – Executive Manager
106. The Writers’ Union of Romania, Romania, Razvan Voncu – Director for International Programs
107. Zwiazek Polskich Autorow, Kompozytorow, Poland – Marek Hojda- Vice-President
108. Zwiazek Kompozytorow Polskich, The Polish Composers’ Union, Poland – Mieczyslaw Kominek Ph.D. – the President

You can download a PDF of the letter here.