Unknown authors will obtain reward

06.11.2020

The problem with the usage of orphan works with minimal risks is on the front burner. Authors of many genius works are still unknown as a result we have a lot of difficulties connected with the execution law of the literary property and remuneration payment. If we cannot identificate even though one of the rightholders or locate him/her, his/her creation will be specified as orphan. So these kind of works can gather dust or fall into the unscrupulous user’s hands. In this situation everybody are afflicted – the audience cannot see masterworks and the author cannot be famous.

Members of the Committee on intellectual property and creative industries of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs found a decision. Chairman of the Committee on intellectual property and creative industries, General Secretary of the Confederation of Rightholders’ Societies of Europe and Asia (CRSEA) Andrey Krichevskiy suggested an idea to create special count for collection remuneration payment in order to give this money the author when he/she will be found. This offer was announced during the meeting of the Committee on the 5th November.

«Proposal of the Committee on intellectual property and creative industries of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs allows us to collect and keep payment for the usage of orphan works in nominal count. When the author will be found we can give him/her money from this count. Also the Committee called the representatives of authority, culture and business took part in finalization of the bill (“About the introduction of amendments to the certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation”) and conceptions of the “equitable remuneration”», – Andrey Krichevskiy noticed.

Creation and realization of this scheme on the practice, on the one hand, give a chance to open new names for the audience and, on the other hand, give business access to content without infringement of unknown authors and rightholders’ interests. For example, according to the issue of the Web-publishers Association about 40% of library account in Russia may be labeled as the orphan works that can be up to 400 thousand books. It’s impossible to count the whole amount of orphan works that used in the digital market.

The article was written on the base of information generated by news agency «ТАSS» and newspaper «Rossiyskaya gazeta»