All members welcome to the FIAPF Cannes Festival seminar on film/TV crews and technicians, May 13th

FIAPF, in partnership with the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) and the UK's Producers' Rights Agency (PRA), is organising a seminar for producers, to discuss issues around the hiring and managing of crews and technicians in film and TV production. It will be open exclusively to FIAPF members and their own members. No participation fee will be charged.

The date is Friday May 13th at the Montfleury Hotel.

The event follows on from last year's very successful seminar on actors' issues. It has been designed to allow for a broad exchange of views on a whole range on technical, legal and financial issues regarding the employment of technicians on a shoot. FIAPF hopes this will be an opportunity to continue the fruitful comparative work started last year.

The seminar will be chaired by John Barrack (CFTPA) and Andrew Chowns (PRA). FIAPF wishes to thank them both for their time and effort in putting together the programme for this event.

We encourage all members to confirm their participation in advance, by fax or email.

Click here for a draft of the Seminar's programme and the event flyer.

FIAPF calls for strong copyright protection in UN debate on future of IPRs

FIAPF has joined forces with other creative industries (music, publishing,software) and organisations representing authors and performers, to launch the Coalition for Creative Development (CCD). The CCD was formed in reaction to some UN Member states calling for a halt to further developments in intellectual property legislation. They say IPRs must be subordinated to broader development objectives. Whereas these countries' concerns are mostly focused on patents' issues, their agenda also includes looking again at the balance between the exclusive rights of creators and producers and exceptions or limitations to those rights.

During meetings held at WIPO's Geneva headquarters earlier this month (11th to 15th), FIAPF and its coalition partners told UN Member states of the vital importance of copyright and related rights as an engine for economic and social development. Mr. Nemesio Juarez, an Argentine film director and producer testified on behalf of FIAPF, to how the success of Argentine cinema had made a vital contribution to his country's economic and social recovery after the severe crisis of the past few years.

FIAPF representatives also said copyright was essential to protect the economic potential of a worldwide film ant TV production sector mostly made up of small and medium size businesses.

Some Member states have severely criticised WIPO and WTO for allegedly driving IPR legislation forward without consideration of its impact on developing countries and their priorities. WIPO is committed to convening Member states for further meetings to consider the issues. A Report on the "Development Agenda" will be completed at the end of July, to be tabled at WIPO's General Assemblies next September.

An ad-hoc Seminar on Intellectual property rights and development will be held in Geneva next week (May 2nd-3rd). The prominent Indian film producer Bobby Bedi, CEO of the Kaleidoscope Entertainment, will be the film industry speaker. FIAPF wishes to thank Mr. Bedi for agreeing to present the issues.

Click here to access the common position of the Coalition for Creative Development (CCD) and speeches delivered by FIAPF representatives at the WIPO Development Agenda meetings in April.

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