European Federation of Journalists

European Federation of Journalists

Policy

Authors’ Rights

The exploitation of intellectual property rights is a topic for virtually every government, major company and economic forum worldwide. Journalists among those who have intellectual property rights. Their authors’ rights are currently best protected in continental Europe.

The EFJ authors’ rights programme calls for journalists to be recognised as authors of the work they create, given control on further use of their work and to receive an equitable remuneration for it, whether their works are exploited off line or online. In this sense, we oppose the Anglo-American copyright system which deprives all staff and most freelances of these rights. Authors’ rights are not only economic rights. Journalists, photographers and media professionals also need strong legal protection of their moral rights, including the right to be named as the author and the right to protect their content from being used in a detrimental way or context.

The right for journalists to exercise control over their work is crucial to maintaining ethical standards and guaranteeing quality journalism. This is another reason for opposing the Anglo-American copyright system, in which authors are coerced into signing away their moral rights, often with no compensation for reuse. Moreover, the growing trend among media organisations to use right-grabbing contracts has become a matter of great concern for the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ). As a result, the EFJ has launched a Europe–wide campaign against right-grabbing contracts and advocates for fair remuneration of journalists.

We also support legal harmonisation of authors’ rights across Europe and the improvement of journalists’ rights and compensation in collective agreements. The authors’ rights work is supported by the IFJ/EFJ Expert Group for Authors’ Rights (AREG), which includes journalists and lawyers. The group meets on a regular basis to identify current threats to authors’ rights and to advise and support journalists and their unions in their battle for higher standards of protection.

Actions

Copyright Directive: IFJ/EFJ reject the Romanian compromise

The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ), the world and Europe’s largest journalists’ organisations, call on EU Institutions to reject provisions and proposals that aim to restrict or obliterate journalists’ remuneration, ahead of final negotiations on the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (DSM). It is with great dismay and disbelief that the IFJ and the EFJ have read the EU Presidency’s latest proposals regarding journalists’ remuneration in the context of the draft legislation. While floating a possible compromise idea of an “appropriate and proportionate” remuneration for authors in Recital 39Y and presumably in Article -14, the…

We call on the EU to protect author’s rights and deliver on fairer Europe

The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ/EFJ), respectively the world and Europe’s largest journalists’ organisations, reiterate their calls on the EU to stand up for journalism and authors’ rights, as negotiations on a Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market draw to an end. In this context, the IFJ and the EFJ recall that the key ambition for developing the legislation was to deliver on a fairer distribution of the revenues generated in the digital world. Extreme wealth generated online derives from the work of authors and creators, which is at the core of copyright licensing.  Their remuneration should…

The EU urgently needs remuneration rules for authors and performers

European and international authors and performers’ organisations from all sectors, including EFJ and IFJ, urge Member States to support the much-needed Article -14 providing for fair and proportionate remuneration for authors and performers in the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market. Proposed by the European Parliament and backed by a large majority of its members on 12 September, the opening provision in Chapter 3 sets a fundamental guiding principle for the remuneration of authors and performers, which should be fair and proportionate to the potential and actual value of the transferred or licensed rights. Capital and business in…

EU Copyright Directive: authors’ group calls for more transparency

The Authors’ Group is Europe’s leading Authors’ network representing more than 500,000 authors, including writers, literary translators, composers, songwriters, journalists, photographers, film/TV directors and screenwriters in Europe. The Authors’ Group consists of the following associations: European Composer and Songwriter Alliance (ECSA), European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), European Writers’ Council (EWC), Federation of European Film and TV Directors (FERA), and Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE) Together with the EU Cultural and Creative Industries at large, the Authors’ Group strongly supports the successful adoption of the Copyright Directive. Along with over 130 professional organisations representing authors from the book, music, press and audio-visual…

The Copyright directive must safeguard fair and proportionate remuneration for journalists, warn IFJ/EFJ

In the frame of the EU tripartite negotiations on the Copyright Proposal, the IFJ and the EFJ call on EU institutions to stand up for journalism by safeguarding journalists’ fair and proportionate remuneration from the new neighboring right and strengthening the Proposal’s transparency provisions. Following the approval by the European Parliament on 12th September of the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (DSM) – a major step forward in protecting authors’ rights- EU institutions, namely the Council, the Parliament and the Commission, have now entered into their final phase of negotiations through a trilogue that should last until…

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