On the occasion of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) 45 at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) PLR International will submit the following intervention.

Brussels / Geneva, 19th of April 2024

PLR International expresses its gratitude to Ms. Sabine Richly for the ‘Scoping Study on Public Lending Right’, upon the initiative by Sierra Leone, Panama, and Malawi.

The comparative Study proves the scalability of PLR systems to different national cultural missions and economic contexts, and it provides guidance for every local legal tradition.

The Study pinpoints the importance of libraries for literacy and as social hub, and at the same time the need of funding for the equitable remuneration of writers, visual artists, translators and other rightsholders. Without their works and investment libraries would not be able to fulfil their mandates; however, ensuring financial support without compromising library budgets is key.

Implementing remunerated PLR is a commitment to fairness, safeguarding the intellectual sources of knowledge, and investing in a sustainable future of the national publishing sector and its impacts on employment, regional development, and innovation driven economy.

The Study including its Annex give countries interested in a tailor-made PLR system, facts, and visions; and for those who already have PLR, assistance to improve. As the study is not considered to introduce a binding legal instrument but designing a program of capacity building, we see that the next steps could provide knowledge exchange such as regional seminars or advisory pools with the involvement of rights holders and PLR enablers.

PLR International, the network of countries with established PLR, remains ready to support WIPOs follow-up activity.

 

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ABOUT

WHAT IS PLR?

The lending of copyrighted works is an exclusive copyright and therefore subjected to the prior, explicit and specific authorisation of the rightsholder(s) concerned. However, for the public lending of these works by public libraries, a specific legal framework and regulation may apply. This public lending right (PLR) is either based on (a legal exception to) copyright or on national legislation outside the scope of copyright (such as a national cultural policy). PLR is managed collectively through legal licences or another type of collective licensing scheme as provided by national law. PLR remuneration is an important source of revenue for authors (including in many cases visual authors, such as illustrators, and translators), and for other rightsholders such as publishers as defined by national laws. PLR is a real driver for cultural diversity via a wide offering of copyrighted materials in public libraries. It ensures the sustainability of the creative and information sector, and it fosters literacy and the love of reading.

WHAT IS PLR INTERNATIONAL (PLRI)?

 PLR International (PLRI) brings together rightsholders and other stakeholders from countries with or looking to set up a PLR scheme. It facilitates the exchange of best practices and provides advice and technical assistance on a global scale.

More: www.plrinternational.com.

You can read PLRI’s statutes in French and English here.