World-Renowned Creators, Political Leaders and Key Industry Players to Convene at World Copyright Summit in Brussels, June 7-8, 2011. Bee Gees' Robin Gibb, Croatian President and music composer Ivo Josipović, French visual artist Hervé Di Rosa, European Commissioners Michel Barnier and Neelie Kroes, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, EMI Group CEO Roger Faxon and Hachette Livre CEO Arnaud Nourry to address creative industries and copyright issues in the digital age.
Paris, February 23, 2011 Today, CISAC (the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers) announced the main programme topics and speakers for the third World Copyright Summit - 7 & 8 June 2011, Brussels. World famous creators, rights organisations, music and books publishers, TV and film producers, policy makers, media and content providers, ISPs and telecom operators, hardware manufacturers, legal and technology experts, will meet to exchange ideas and debate about the future of intellectual property and creative content (music, books, movies, pictures,
) in the digital environment.
2011 Keynote Speakers confirmed as of today include:
Michel Barnier, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services
Hervé Di Rosa, French visual artist and CISAC Vice-President
Roger Faxon, EMI Group CEO, interviewed by Paul Williams, songwriter and ASCAP President and Chairman of the Board
Robin Gibb, legendary singer and songwriter of the Bee Gees and CISAC President
Francis Gurry, WIPO Director General (World Intellectual Property Organization), interviewed by Eric Baptiste, SOCAN CEO
Ivo Josipović, President of Croatia and music composer
Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission and European Commissioner for Digital Agenda
Arnaud Nourry, Hachette Livre Chairman and CEO
Robin Gibb will be joined at the World Copyright Summit by such creators as world renowned French visual artist Hervé Di Rosa, classical music composer and President of Croatia Ivo Josipović, US composer, songwriter and actor Paul Williams, and British poetess Wendy Cope.
The Summit will feature key political leaders, who are deeply involved in copyright issues such as Michel Barnier, European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services; Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Digital Agenda; and Francis Gurry, solicitor, Law professor and WIPO Director General, also co-author of "International Intellectual Property in an Integrated World Economy".
Key industry speakers also include Roger Faxon, CEO of EMI Group; Arnaud Nourry, Chairman and CEO of Hachette Livre; Frances Moore, President/CEO of IFPI (International Federation of the Phonographic Industry); Simon Juden, Head of Public Policy at Pearson and former President of the UK's Publishers Association; and Christopher Marcich, President and Managing Director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa of the MPA (Motion Pictures Association).
A line-up of more than 100 speakers will emphasise the need for constructive dialogue on the importance of copyright protection and the distribution of creative works in the digital era.
While the capacity to access content now seems endless and, from a consumer's perspective, almost at no cost, where and how can value be extracted from the usage and dissemination of content What are the models that will deliver significant value and remuneration for rights owners Is the answer in the 'Cloud' What are the best systems to ensure that rights owners are properly compensated What is the role of ISPs And where do creators fit into this new eco-system The Summit will be the ideal platform to discuss all these issues in a forward-thinking way with all the stakeholders.
Expect views from a wide variety of perspectives, especially those of creators, due to the nature of CISAC's membership, which includes authors' societies and guilds active in all creative fields music, audio-visual, literary, and visual arts.
With digital disruption now spreading well beyond the music sector into other creative fields, this topic will be a primary area of focus for the high level speakers from all artistic disciplines.
Taking place in Brussels, the capital of the European Union, the 2011 Summit will have a strong European flavour. Very important pieces of legislation and changes in the fields of copyright, collective licensing and the digital economy are currently being discussed in Brussels and at the global level.
The slogan for the World Copyright Summit, "Creating value in the digital economy", reflects the three main themes to be addressed during this two-day conference:
Create: The global eco-system for creators and creative industries
Connect: The digital economy and new business models
Respect: Authors' rights and the legislative & social environment
"The voices of creators are seldom heard on copyright issues in the digital age, their participation is what makes the World Copyright Summit a unique event," said CISAC President Robin Gibb, singer and songwriter of the legendary Bee Gees. "In Europe at least, the system of collective rights management is at a crossroads. The way forward for the collective rights management and creative industries as a whole will not come from seizing upon short-term commercial advantage, but from allowing the development of a system that is sustainable because it is fair to all."
"The new digital economy would not exist without the works of creators; the future is based on the right balance between creators' and users' rights. This is what we mean with our "Create Connect Respect" tagline for this 2011 Summit," commented Robert Hooijer, Interim Director General of CISAC.
"It is essential that the creative industries adapt to the reality of digital technology and the Internet. Legal and business mechanisms for creating value must align with the expectations of actors in the digital environment," stated WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, who added: "We need to be creative about different industries, and to analyze the different value chains of production so as to ensure that those involved in authoring and marketing content are adequately remunerated and sustained."
The 2011 World Copyright Summit is organised by CISAC and supported by numerous organisations (partner and advisory committee), which represent every sectors of the industry:
BASCAP (Business Action to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy); BIEM (International organisation representing mechanical rights societies); CEPIC (Coordination of European Picture Agencies Stock, Press and Heritage); ECSA (European Composer and Songwriter Alliance); EVA (European Visual Artists); EWC (European Writers' Council); FEP (Federation of European Publishers); FERA (Federation of European Film Directors); GESAC (European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers); ICMP (International Confederation of Music Publishers); IFPI (International Federation of Phonographic Industry); IFRRO (International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations); SAA (Society of Audiovisual Authors); SAC (Songwriters Association of Canada).
After the first edition in Brussels in 2007, the follow-up World Copyright Summit, held in Washington, DC in 2009, drew over 600 delegates from 290 companies and 68 countries. The 2011 World Copyright Summit is expected to attract a similar audience.
The Summit will be held in the Square Brussels Meeting Center.
