Bodour Al Qasimi calls for establishing Arab World’s First Reproduction Rights Organisation

SHARJAH, 27th February, 2017 (WAM) -- The first Emirates Reproduction Rights Forum, aimed at boosting the UAE’s creative arts industry and managing reproduction rights, started today at the Flag Island in Sharjah.

The two-day forum was inaugurated in the presence of Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and Patron of the Emirates Publishers Association, EPA.

The event, organised by the EPA in collaboration with the Emirates Intellectual Property Association, EIPA, and Emirates Writers Union, EWU, has brought together experts and key speakers from the publishing sector, book industry and intellectual realm while specialists from the Copyright Clearance Centre and the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations, IFRRO, are also taking part.

In her keynote speech, Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi said, "Our main goal is to raise awareness about the role of creative industries and to highlight the importance of establishing reproduction rights management organisations. Protecting reproduction rights is a priority for supporting the artists and their works in the UAE as it forms part of the nation’s confident approach towards a knowledge-based economy. When we talk about the creative industries, we are not only referring to the protection of intellectual property rights, but are also referring to the range of activities, which contribute significantly to our social and economic development."

Commenting on the occasion, Dr. Abdulrahman Al Obaidili, Board Member of the EIPA, said, "The EIPA is taking part in this important forum to enhance the UAE’s ambitious vision for an increasingly conscious publishing industry that is protected and fortified with laws and regulations that guarantee the rights of publishers and even readers. The forum offers an invaluable opportunity to communicate with influential figures and players involved in the regulation of the global publishing market, and also to become familiar with the latest rules introduced to protect the rights of creative people."

The first presentation of the day, titled "Collective Management in the Creative Industry," was delivered by Michael Healy, Executive Director of International Relations at the Copyright Clearance Centre. He discussed how issues around reproduction rights were central to the global economy.

"Copyright plays an important part in modern economy, where there is an increasing dependency on non-tangible, non-physical growth, as typified by creativity in the digital sector. Copyright is at the heart of the process that incentivises artists and adds to the creative value chain," he said.

The second session, titled "Reproduction Rights Organisations and Licensing" brought together Tarja Koskinen-Olsson, an international advisor on intellectual property issues and Nasser Ali Al Khasawneh, Managing Partner in EverShed’s Company, and was moderated by Abdulrahman Al Obaidily, Member of the Board of Directors at EIPA. The session discussed the exact functions of reproduction rights organisations and how they work on a "money in, money out" basis, collecting dues from users and then redistributing these to the rights holders.

The third session, titled "The Role of Cultural and Educational Organisations in Protecting Right Owners," featured Caroline Morgan, CEO and Secretary-General of IFRRO and Habib Al Sayegh, Secretary-General of Arab Writers Union, Executive Chief Editor of Al Khaleej newspaper and Chairman of the Emirates Writers Union. It was moderated by Dr Mariam Al Shanasi, President of EPA. The panel discussed why reproduction rights are key to ensuring national identity as it enables easy reproduction of local content.

Others who attended the forum were Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani, Chairman of the Department of Statistics and Community Development in Sharjah; Ahmed Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority; Ibrahim Al Abed, Advisor to the National Media Council; Marwan bin Jassim Al Sarkal, CEO of the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority, Shurooq; Noura Al Noman, Founder and CEO of Makhtoota 5229; Dr. Rashad Salem, Director of Al Qasimia University; Abdulla Deaifis, Executive Committee Chairman of Sharjah International Commercial Arbitration Centre, Tahkeem; Raghda Taryam, Board Member at Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Jassem Al Baloushi, Head of Retail Banking Group at Sharjah Islamic Bank, as well as librarians and publishers, among others.

WAM/AAMIR