Transposition of the EU Copyright Directive into Irish Law.

Screen Composers Guild of Ireland strongly welcomes the transposition of the EU copyright directive into Irish law. This piece of legislation is hugely important to the funding of sustainable careers for composers for screen and the long-term sustainability of an Irish creative screen industry. The rights (specific arts 18-22) included in this directive are intended to support creators to access a fair share of profits from the exploitation of their work, greater security, and fairness in contracting for the commissioning of original work, greater transparency in how their work is exploited and a means for adjustment when there is lack exploitation or poor management of rights. These are key measures to ensure creators are protected as they pursue their careers and that the rights which are created when they make artistic works are recognised as key elements with an intrinsic and economic value.

As composers for screen, our members are privileged to work in an industry which has collaboration at its heart. The success of our industry is something we are keen to contribute to and work towards. The ability to do business and be competitive in the international marketplace is vital to the competitiveness of Ireland’s screen industry as is the ability to develop creative talent, ensure sustainable and fair working practices and produce Irish owned creative IP which is correctly exploited. SCGI believe through industry consultation we can now bring the rights enshrined in the EU copyright directive into practical application in production contracts. We look forward to working with our wider community to this end and ensuring the benefits of this piece of legislation are realised as intended and contribute to our member’s success and the wider success of our industry.