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MU welcomes new global treaty on audio/visual performer rights
By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 27 June 2012
The Musicians’ Union has welcomed the signing of a new global intellectual property agreement in Beijing designed to provide performers in audio-visual productions both economic and moral rights in their work when distributed internationally. The agreement, signed by 46 countries, is really designed to extend the rights of actors in internationally distributed films, though will also benefit musicians who appear in audio-visual work.
The treaty, some twelve years in development, was signed at a conference held in the Chinese capital by the World Intellectual Property Organisation. That body’s Director General, Francis Gurry, told reporters: “The conclusion of the Beijing Treaty is an important milestone toward closing the gap in the international rights system for audio-visual performers and reflects the collaborative nature of the multilateral process. The international copyright framework will no longer discriminate against one set of performers”.
Welcoming the new agreement from a musicians point of view, John Smith, General Secretary of the UK’s Musicians’ Union and President of the International Federation Of Musicians, told CMU: “Being present at the historic WIPO Diplomatic Conference on the Protection Of Audiovisual Performances in Beijing has been a great honour. This week the WIPO member states have agreed a treaty which extends the protection of performers’ intellectual property rights, already enjoyed in audio productions and live performance, to audiovisual productions. This means that for the first time performers will enjoy both economic and moral rights in all of their recorded and live work”.
Calling on the European Union and UK to implement its new international obligations into relevant domestic laws quickly, he continued: “Music is an integral and important part of audio-visual productions and the community of musicians will most definitely benefit from the adoption of this important treaty. We hope that the EU and UK government ratify and implement it at the earliest opportunity”.
