The Director General of CISAC (International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers), Olivier Hinnewinkel, has invited SPA’s President, José Jorge Letria, to chair the European Committee of this international confederation headquartered in Paris. The invitation has been accepted and the position will be occupied together with, and without detriment to, the other posts currently held by SPA’s President. Let it be reminded that, besides the European Committee, CISAC also has the Asia-Pacific Committee, the African Committee and the Latin-American Committee in operation. The European Committee’s 2012 Annual General Meeting was hosted by SPA in Lisbon.
SPA’s President, who will inherently become a member of CISAC’s Board of Directors in Paris, shall be responsible for dealing with intellectual property issues in Europe in general and in Eastern European countries in particular, where copyright still faces obstacles, delays and other hindrances.
The European Committee is the most important regional structure of CISAC (the confederation is comprised of 228 societies from 119 countries) because, in spite of the crisis it’s facing, Europe represents approximately 65% of its financial movements. The European Committee includes 101 societies of authors.
SPA’s President is also a member of the Board of Directors of GESAC (European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers), which is headquartered in Brussels, and of the Executive Committee of the Writers and Directors Worldwide (former CIADLV). These are non-remunerated positions, just like that of Chair of the European Committee.
This presence of SPA at the top of international copyright organizations is the result of the cooperative’s strategic investment, which has been increased in the last few years, especially since 2007. In this way, the voice of SPA, which has hosted major international copyright initiatives, is increasingly recognized and respected.
As the Chair of CISAC’s European Committee, SPA’s President will have an increased legitimacy to intervene with the Portuguese public authorities in order to solve legislative and other issues that have been dragging on unacceptably. It is the first time that a Portuguese person occupies this position within CISAC.
Lisbon, 27 January 2014.
