Russian Union of Rightholders hosted Writers & Directors Worldwide in Moscow

An open meeting of the Executive Committee of the international organization Writers & Directors Worldwide (W&DW – “Writers and Directors Worldwide”) was held in Moscow with the support of the Russian Union of Rightholders (RUR). More than twenty authors – well-known screenwriters and directors from all over the world – met with their Russian colleagues to discuss the most important topic for the cinema community – the introduction of fair rewards for authors of audiovisual works.

The meeting was preceded by a meeting of the W&DW management with Andrey Krichevsky, General Director of the Russian Union of Rightholders, where the parties discussed the growing role of new technologies, in particular blockchain platforms in the field of copyright management.

As the president of W&DW, Horacio Maldonado said: “We would like to draw attention to pressing problems of right holders, directors, screenwriters and the global film industry as a whole. But it is especially important to hear what problems concern representatives of the creative community in Russia. We are ready to provide help and assistance as a sign of respect for Russian culture and cinema, as many of us have grown up on outstanding Russian films”.

Horacio Maldonado also noted that the day before the W&DW management held a “productive meeting with a number of strong stakeholders”, and stressed that authors and right holders should actively discuss the issue of protecting their rights in relevant government agencies.

Yves Nilly, Vice President of W&DW emphasized that W&DW, representing the interests of both individual creators and collective management societies around the world, sees the goal of its activity “in creating synergies to help different associations and unions, including Russian, to solve common problems of the industry”.

As an example of such cooperation, the results of W&DW work with the countries of the Asia-Pacific region and Africa were discussed in detail.

Antonio Da Fontura, Vice President of the Brazilian Organization of Film Directors and Authors of Audiovisual Content (DBCA), spoke about the significant progress that has been achieved through international cooperation in the protection of the rights of filmmakers. “We have gained tremendous experience, which, I am sure, will be useful to our Russian colleagues. This also applies to the search for a balance of interests of all parties involved in the formation of a reward system, for example, television and film distribution. The final consensus on these issues will still require some time, but it will certainly be found.”

As Eric Valdes-Martines, Deputy General Director and Head of the International Department of the Russian Union of Rightholders, noted: “Partnership with W&DW is of particular importance, first of all, for Russian filmmakers and scriptwriters. We have an opportunity to learn for certain about the most successful systems of rights protection in those countries where, for example, legislation allows authors to receive remuneration when a film is shown in cinemas, restaurants, on television channels, on the Internet. In our country, we have no law enforcement practice on this issue. Our task is to understand how we can adapt and apply the best international practices as efficiently as possible taking into account Russian realities.”

According to Russian filmmakers, the meeting in Moscow served as a good start for further cooperation. The next important step will be the holding of the International Congress Writers & Directors Worldwide in March 2019 with the presentation of the IPChain blockchain platform, which is the infrastructure for the field of intellectual property.