CISAC’s Latin American and Caribbean Committee rallies for creators’ rights in Costa Rica and in the region

The Latin American and Caribbean Committee (CLC) of CISAC convened in San José, Costa Rica, bringing together member societies and observer organizations from Europe and the United States. This meeting served as a key platform to address pressing copyright challenges across the region. Opening the event were CLC President Alexis Buenseñor, ACAM President Edin Solis, Costa Rica’s Minister of Culture and Youth Jorge Rodríguez, and CISAC Director General Gadi Oron.

In his address, Minister Rodríguez highlighted the support CISAC and the societies within the region are providing to the host societies, ACAM through the meeting being organised in San Jose especially at a time when a controversial bill in Costa Rica’s Legislative Assembly threatens to undermine creators’ rights in favour of commercial interests. He stressed that creators' rights are not privileges but fundamental guarantees that allow creators to benefit from their work. 

“Authors' rights are fundamental—they are not privileges. They guarantee that creators can benefit from the use of their works. The executive branch does not support this bill,” stated Minister Rodríguez.

CISAC Director General Gadi Oron took the opportunity to highlight the Confederation’s major initiatives. He presented CISNET 2.0, a fully modernized version of the tool aimed at increasing efficiency and reducing costs. He also discussed CISAC’s recent economic study on artificial intelligence  and its implications for the creative sector. 

Additionally, he outlined CISAC’s ongoing lobbying efforts at the global level, working with key institutions such as WIPO, UNESCO, the European Union, and the African Union, as well as in countries including Spain, France, Hong Kong, South Korea, China, Australia, Brazil, Chile, the United States, and the United Kingdom. He encouraged Latin American and Caribbean societies to take an active role in CISAC’s upcoming General Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Discussions at the meeting also centered on legislative developments affecting creators in the region. These include the draft laws on AI in Brazil and Chile, executive decrees on collective management in Argentina,  legislative proposals concerning the right to remuneration for audiovisual authors and the resale right for visual artists. The activities of the different CISAC repertoire groups were also discussed. 

The CLC passed a resolution supporting collective management efforts in Argentina while rejecting the draft law on limitations and exceptions in Costa Rica.

CISAC’s DG Gadi Oron and Board Chair Marcelo Castello Branco also met with members of the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly, where they explained to the deputies and advisors how the proposed limitations and exceptions bill would harm creators’ ability to earn fair remuneration. They urged legislators to reject the bill and uphold policies that ensures copyright protection.