News & Events

MoC on Protection of Copyright and Realted Rights signed between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan

MoC on Protection of Copyright and Realted Rights was signed between the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Intellectual Property Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan on June 2, 2022. The signing ceremony was held as a part of the Uzbek-Azerbaijani business forum in Tashkent.

The key components of document includes coordination of activities in the field of copyright and related rights, exchange of information, timely detection of violations and taking appropriate measures.

The MoC establishes a basis for regularly exchange of the information on acts of legislation in the field of protection of copyright and related rights, amendments made to them and other innovations in this direction between parties.

According to the document, parties plan to implement measures to improve the skills of employees involved in the protection of copyright and related rights, and representatives of public organizations for the protection of property rights of authors and other creators, as well as for the mutual exchange of experience in these areas.

Department of Public Relations of the Ministry of Justice

COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT - THE PATH TO THE ABYSS

The international conference was held in Chisinau (Moldova) on Collective management of copyright: European regulation, national legislation, and the digital environment on July 4-7, 2023. The core goal of the conference was the exchange of experience and the identification of priority areas in the field of copyright and related rights.

In the conference, representatives of CISAC, WIPO, АN “COPYRIGHT” (Moldova), ANFPI (Moldova), SCOC AB (Sweden), UACRR (Ukraine), GCA (Georgia), ARMAUTHOR (Armenia), KAZAK (Kazakhstan), ZAIKS (Poland), Heaven 11 (Ireland), OAZA + OOA-S (Czech Republic), UCMR-ADA (Romania) and SIIP (Uzbekistan) took participation.

Participants discussed a range of questions, such as the issues of harmonization and unification of the system of copyright protection, software solutions to support accurate collection and distribution of royalties, IT solutions in the digital age, the importance of monitoring programs, the development of general actions to implement the CISAC resolution on providing successful protection to prevent from undermining sovereignty and legitimacy of CISAC members.

Within the framework of the conference, the participants have identified the core issues in the field of copyright protection and related rights. The participants emphasized some CIS countries actively used illegal content on television and radio. Despite the existing legislation, representatives of the media sphere have a lack of interest to enter in licensing agreements with organizations for the collective management of authors rights (CMOs) and authors, and they try to circumvent the law On Copyright and Related Rights in any possible way. They use content without the permission of the authors, which causes moral and economic injury not only to the authors but also to the country and its reputation on the international stage. Also, both, users such as TV, radio, cafes, restaurants, shops, and specialists in the field (lawyers, judges, etc.) have a lack of understanding of issues related to copyright. In addition, participants highlighted the need to revise the legislation in the field of copyright protection and modernize it with the involvement of foreign specialists and practitioners.

GAAPO: A NEW VISION OF COPYRIGHT COLLABORATION

The Chamber for the Protection of Copyright of Authors, Creators and Performers participated in the presentation of the Global Alliance of Authors and Performers Organizations as one of co-founders.

The Global Alliance was established in Tbilisi, Georgia by seven CISAC organizations represented seven countries (Georgia, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Ukraine). Participants discussed a pressing issue in the era of globalization – the protection of copyright. The primary aim of the Global Alliance is to safeguard the intellectual property rights of creators across the globe and to promote a culture of respect for original works.

The digital age has provided immense opportunities for both creators and consumers alike, while simultaneously leading to a rapid increase in copyright infringement cases. In numerous instances, intellectual property is being exploited without proper credit, acknowledgment, or even compensation. This has not just robbed people of their deserved admiration but has threatened their very livelihood.

During videoconference on measures designed to improve the system of intellectual property rights protection, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted the commercial use of works of art and literature without the consent of the author is one of the pressing issues at stake in Uzbekistan. The Chamber for the Protection of Copyright (SIIP) is actively working to solve this issue and the Global Alliance (GAAPO), established with the support of 7 countries is effective measure to for protecting copyright.

The Global Alliance allows us to take collective action against piracy and infringement, while also establishing uniform guidelines essential for smoother collaboration. Moreover, it ensures that creators from various countries have equal access to resources that protect their intellectual property rights. Furthermore, by fostering close communication between copyright organizations globally, we can facilitate easier resolution of disputes and help prevent cross-border infringement cases from occurring in the first place.

Training on Binding Resolutions and Best Practices

In November 2023, the annual international event of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) occurred in Budapest (Hungary). The key topic of this event was Training on Binding Resolutions and Best Practices. Representatives of CISAC and more than 70 participants from 25 societies of foreign countries involved in managing the copyright on a collective basis attended the event.

The Chamber for the Protection of Copyright of Artists, Creators, and Performers NGO represented Uzbekistan at this important international event in the copyright and related rights field. During the event, representatives of the Chamber negotiated with representatives of the Sisters' international organizations and discussed problems that arise when working with databases to determine the authors of works.

Keynote speakers at the event were Sylvain Piat (CISAC) and Declan Rudden (SaorServices). They shared their knowledge and experience, presented main changes to binding resolutions, and shared good practices in collective rights management. Also, the representative of the Balkan region, Srečko Barbarik (SOKOJ), spoke at the seminar and presented the Balkan node CIS-Net. His report outlined the problems that countries faced after the collapse of Yugoslavia in the field of copyright and related rights protection and ways to solve them. One of the best options was to unite into a single hub for further transfer of information for more accurate collection and distribution of rewards between authors in the Balkan region and other countries.

One of the central topics of the seminar was documentation. Participants discussed issues related to proper record keeping and principles for distributing remuneration for musical and audiovisual works. Also, they considered the problems arising from incorrect registration of authors, unidentified scenarios, and errors in the distribution of funds after collecting.

Peter Benjamin Toth, a Hungarian Authors' Rights Management Society (ARTISJUS) representative, shared the society's experience and spoke about the main problems faced in collecting and distributing remuneration to authors in Hungary.

The CISAC event in Budapest presented relevant and intriguing topics related to collective copyright management. Participants could discuss and share their experiences in solving problems occurring in this area. The international CISAC event continues to serve as an essential platform for knowledge sharing and networking among copyright management societies on a collective basis.