Audiovisual producers in Uruguay are facing a controversial legislative initiative that aims to prohibit them from authorizing and collecting public communication rights for the management of works. This movement has united producers in a joint protest during the third edition of Iberseries & Platino Industria, where they expressed their disagreement with what they consider an arbitrary and unfair proposal. The proposal, led by Senator Jorge Gandini, seeks to reform the Copyright Law through an article in the Accountability Law. Specifically, it is proposed to add a subsection that would limit the authorization of collective management entities of producers only to the rights of equitable remuneration, excluding other intellectual property rights represented by producers.
For organizations such as EGEDA (audiovisual producers’ rights management entity) and FIPCA (Federación Iberoamericana de Productores Cinematográficos y Audiovisuales), this proposal undermines the rights of producers, as they would be deprived of a fair remuneration for their collective management. In addition, it goes against national and international laws and breaks the global trend of protection of intellectual property rights. Producers argue that this reform ignores the importance of film and series, as well as the growing Ibero-American audiovisual industry, which enjoys international recognition. This is worrying, as Uruguay would be taking legislative measures that could hinder the development of this industry.
Original source in Spanish
