The critical need to protect authors' rights amid rapid developments in AI and copyright law was underlined by the composer and CISAC President Björn Ulvaeus.
Indicative of the prevailing mood in the community is that when Mr. Yiannis Glezos, in his intervention, stressed that authors should go on strike, banning the use of their works on state radio and TV stations, if governments do not force the Commission to legislate strictly against the authorised use of their works, all CISAC members heavily applauded his proposal.
CISAC Director General Gadi Oron highlighted CISAC's active role in lobbying internationally on AI issues, fighting infringements that threaten creator’s rights and promoting technological tools, such as the new CIS-Net 2, to increase efficiency in the management of creative works.
The importance of the unity of the CISAC community to jointly address the challenges was underlined by the President of MUSICAUTOR, Iassen Kozev, who expressed the hope that human art will remain the most valuable in the future.
The CISAC community supports Bulgarian creators
The panels hosted at the Assembly explored key issues related to AI and copyright law.
The discussions highlighted the difficulty for organisations to protect the creators' rights in the face of increasing content produced entirely by AI, with some platforms reporting high rates of such uploads.
In addition, particular reference was made to the ongoing legal protection and litigation efforts in all major markets to shape AI legislation and defend the creative sector.
Finally, the panels explored the unique challenges in Central and Eastern Europe, where different market conditions and regulations require careful navigation to effectively support creators in countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania.
During the General Assembly, CISAC delegates from around the world showed strong solidarity with Bulgarian creators, supporting their struggle for respect, fair remuneration and protection of their rights.