Publishers, clipping companies, dircoms and CEDRO, aligned for the first time in the defence of intellectual property
An unusual family photo. For the first time in history, press publishers, clipping service companies, communication directors and the association of authors and publishers CEDRO, have staged this week a climate of unity, in the presentation of the campaign Nobody better than you in Madrid. They have agreed to strengthen stable and lasting ties in the defence of copyright and intellectual property, two fields that have caused historical tensions between the parties involved.
The president of CEDRO, Daniel Fernández, warned that “we must stop looking askance at collecting societies, because there is a type of rights that can only be taken forward through collective bargaining”.
For Irene Lanzaco, the director general of the Association of News Media (AMI), the income of the press through intellectual property is “fundamental for the development of our news work”. The spokeswoman calls for “a commitment from agencies and monitoring companies to opt for a model in which content is remunerated on a sustainable basis over time”.
The main industry groups are seeking to establish a peaceful and constructive relationship between them. The clipping companies, which have been forced to pass on to their clients fees that have grown exponentially in recent months -even reaching 40 cents per article-, defend a rapprochement of positions. An example of this was the agreement reached a few months ago between them and CEDRO to include articles under subscription in the press summaries.
Onclusive’s general director, Héctor Linares, who regrets that “it seems that sometimes we are the bad guys in the film”, is in favour of “a sectoral pact” and the payment of “fair, equitable and stable remuneration”.
Paywall media stress that this subscription method promotes intellectual property rights.
In the midst of the debate and analysis of the results of the paid subscription of headers, the media that have incorporated the paywall defend that this modality promotes compliance with copyright and intellectual property rights.
The director of Colpisa (Vocento), Alfonso R. Aldeyturriaga, stated that “we are advancing in areas that are moving slowly” and that “our future right now is subscriptions, where ownership will be recognised”. On the other hand, Prisa Media’s General Director of Marketing, Luis Baena, considers that now is “the most relevant, pressing and urgent moment for intellectual property” and believes that the subscription model is “the light at the end of the tunnel, where intellectual property is everything”.
In the accumulation of tensions, the general director of El Confidencial, Alejandro Laso, admitted that “part of the problem has been generated by the media, with each of us going our own way. We need to talk to each other more”. Laso considers that intellectual property is “the place where all the actors meet in a sustainable way and where we can reach agreements”.
The campaign presented by CEDRO features renowned experts in the sector, such as the dircom BNP Paribas Personal Finance, Joaquín Mouriz, the general director of Alabra, Julián Zabala, and the Marketing Communication, Brand Digital & Customer Experience Uponor Iberia, Susana Martín.
Regulatory developments
In recent months, the press has made significant progress in this area. On the one hand, with the transposition of the European copyright directive which recognises the obligation of information service providers – such as Google Showcase – to remunerate the media from which they draw their income.
On the other hand, the regulation that will soon come into force includes the press in the category of beneficiary of private copying. A condition that will allow it to receive the same benefits as those currently received by the publishing, music and audiovisual industries. Compensation with which they have managed to accumulate more than 200 million euros.
