The members of the SGAE approve the reform of the statutes by 85.19% of the votes

The new statutes represent the definitive adaptation of the entity to the new Spanish and European legal framework and compliance with a requirement of the Ministry of Culture and the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC).

The partners of the General Society of Authors and Editors (SGAE) have approved the reform of statutes of the entity by a majority of more than 2/3 of the Extraordinary General Assembly held this Thursday, January 30, in Madrid. Of a total of 25,907 votes, 22,070 (85.19%) were in favor, 3,323 against (12.83%) and 514 abstained (1.98%).

After knowing the results Pilar Jurado, president of the SGAE, has "thanked the statutory partners for their participation", and stated that "the majority support of the Assembly is a yes to the future of the SGAE, which we face with legal certainty and a high level of internal consensus. Having exceeded 80% of affirmative votes means that these are the statutes of the agreement and dialogue." Its approval represents the definitive adaptation of the entity to the new Spanish and European legal framework and compliance with a requirement of the Ministry of Culture and the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC).

Jurado also wanted to “expressly thank the intense work that the entire Board of Directors has carried out during these months”, where the four associations of the SGAE are represented (Pequeño Derecho, Gran Derecho, Audiovisual Works and Musical Publishers), their respective vice presidents and the professionals of the SGAE. “Without their efforts – stated the president of the entity – this broad support for the statutes would not have been possible.”

This reform is motivated by the changes introduced in the Intellectual Property Law, derived from Royal Decree-Law 2/2018, of April 13, which incorporates into the Spanish legal system Directive 2014/26/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, of February 26, 2014, and Directive (EU) 2017/1564 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of September 13, 2017.

According to the president of the entity, the new statutes will serve to “give even more voice to authors and creators in decision-making, and make the entity more modern, flexible, and transparent.” In this sense, one of the main novelties of these statutes is that All active members will have at least one vote in the assembly. In addition, the entity is obliged to publish an “annual transparency report” on administration discounts, cultural and welfare activities, and financial activity. It will be carried out by the Board of Directors within the first three months of the year and will be submitted to the vote of the Assembly within the first six months of the year.

The statutes also provide for a independent oversight commission. Regarding the distributions, they include in detail their general policy and the principles of the established system. The Distribution Regulations must be ratified by the General Assembly.

Jurado has also highlighted that authors will have “more rights and more freedom”, being able to decide whether to maintain or partially withdraw the rights to their works from the SGAE depending on the category, type of work or the countries where its creation generates rights. This change will force the entity to be more competitive and constantly adapt its service offering to the specific needs of each partner.

More power to sectors and territories

The new statutes aspire to be integrative and representative of all SGAE members, serving traditionally more minority sectors, such as choreography, providing a new definition of choreographic work and a new distribution system for this sector; and they also regulate the participation of the Territorial Councils, which become part of the organizational structure depending directly on the Board of Directors.

With these statutes, the SGAE is transformed to look to the future and defend copyright in a digital and global world in which the cultural industry continually evolves and new formulas must be sought every day.