site.btaCulture Ministry, Parliament Host Discussions on Copyright in Bulgaria

A delegation of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) and Bulgaria’s organization of composers, authors and music publishers for collective management of copyright MUSICAUTOR held meetings at the Ministry of Culture and the National Assembly, MUSICAUTOR reported on Thursday.

According to CISAC statistics, Bulgaria occupies an unfavourable and undeserved place in terms of copyright protection and remuneration among other Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, said CISAC Regional Director for Europe Mitko Chatalbashev at a meeting held on Thursday at the Ministry of Culture, which was attended by Deputy Minister Viktor Stoyanov and MUSICAUTOR Executive Director Ivan Dimitrov.

According to the world organisation's data, Bulgaria ranks 17th out of 20 CEE countries in the amount of royalties collected for the use of music relative to GDP in 2021. This trend has proved to be persistent in recent years, with Slovenia, Croatia, Estonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and others far ahead of Bulgaria in this respect.

The meeting looked at the problems in the implementation of the Law on Copyright and Neighbouring Rights with regard to collective management of copyright in Bulgaria.

"CISAC closely follows the copyright situation in Bulgaria together with its members - the organization of authors and composers MUSICAUTOR, and the organization of authors in audiovisual FILMAUTOR. We believe that now is the time to adopt European practices and norms in view of the forthcoming implementation of two European directives in Bulgarian legislation. CISAC is a worldwide organisation of copyright societies, which brings together over 2.5 million authors and different repertoires. That is why we declare our readiness to provide any assistance that is necessary to Bulgaria to increase copyright protection", Chatalbashev said.

Deputy Minister of Culture Victor Stoyanov confirmed the support of the ministry for the activities of the companies and its commitment to solve the existing problems. He expressed his satisfaction with the meeting and the opportunity to learn in detail about the European practice and the gaps in the Bulgarian legislation.

The CISAC and MUSICAUTOR representatives also held a meeting with Parliament Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov, which focused on the same issues and initiatives to strengthen copyright in Bulgaria.