Abu Dhabi: The Emirates Reprographic Rights Management Association (ERRA) made history as the first Middle Eastern member to participate in the 2023 World Conference of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFRRO), which took place in Reykjavik, Iceland, recently.
The IFRRO boasts over 150 members spanning 85 countries, representing many authors, visual artists, book publishers, magazines, newspapers, and musicians.
Under the leadership of Mohammed Al Kamali, a member of the Association’s Board of Directors, and Majd Al Shehhi, Director of ERRA, the conference’s opening session commenced in the presence of President Gudni Th. Johannesson of the Republic of Iceland.
In attendance were members of IFFRO, representatives of administrative bodies, and a diverse group of authors and publishers from around the world, who participated in the annual elections to confirm the President and Council members for the 2023-2024 term. Throughout the conference, attendees engaged in presentations and panel discussions, among other meetings.
The event encompassed discussions covering a diverse array of copyright-related topics, exploring current trends and challenges within the collective rights management process and underscoring the paramount importance of safeguarding the rights of creators on both regional and global scales.
Al Shehhi was pleased with the continued participation in this important international event, describing it as “a major step in elevating the UAE’s position on the global stage regarding copyright protection and its leadership in nurturing creative industries.”
She also emphasised that this participation seamlessly aligned with the Association’s strategic goals, which aimed to strengthen its global role in protecting the rights of writers and publishers while efficiently managing the shared and paid use of works encompassing text and images.
She elaborated that they signed a bilateral agreement with the Malaysia Reprographic Rights Centre (MARC) to represent a substantial collection of Malaysian literary works, noting that “In return, we strived to make these works accessible to libraries and universities in the UAE that held licenses with our organisation.
Concurrently, the rights to Emirati works, which we had obtained permission from their creators, including writers and publishers, were represented in Malaysian libraries and universities. This reciprocal arrangement significantly contributed to the exchange of cultural content and facilitated the broader dissemination of the creative works of Emirati artists.”
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