The right to remuneration of authors of the audiovisual work in accordance with the laws of the EU and Ukraine

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of the issues of the remuneration of authors for the use of an audiovisual work. It is substantiated that legal certainty and effective protection of authors' rights is an essential factor in the development of the audiovisual art. In this regard, the author studies the rules on protection of authors' rights in the context of ensuring their right to remuneration provided for in the laws of the EU Member States.The article provides a comparative analysis of the provisions of the laws of certain EU Member States which define who are the authors of an audiovisual work and who are entitled to receive the remuneration. It is established that there is no uniform approach to determining the list of authors of an audiovisual work in the laws of the EU Member States. It is clearly established that the author is the main director. Other persons who have made a creative contribution to the creation of an audiovisual work are defined in the laws at the discretion of the EU Member States. In most EU Member State laws, the authorsare recognized as: the screenwriter, the author of the music, specially created for use in the audiovisual work.In most laws, there is a presumption that the authors transfer their property rights to the producer, unless otherwise provided in the agreement. In cases determined by law, regardless of the transfer of property rights, authors have the inalienable right to receive the remuneration for the use of a work in certain ways. It is established that the laws of the EU Member States provide for the right to the equitable remuneration for reproduction for personal use (private copying), cable retransmission, and rental of copies. Other ways to use for which authors should be remunerated are established by the law at thediscretion of the country.The article provides examples from the copyright laws of Italy, Poland, Estonia, Spain, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. These examples prove that each country establishes, at its own discretion, the right to equitable the remuneration of authors for certain uses.The author concludes that ensuring the right to equitable the remuneration for authors is and remains an urgent issue for EU Member States.The article analyzes the provisions of the Law of Ukraine of Copyright and and Related Rights regarding the rights of authors to the remuneration for the use of an audiovisual work. Сonclusions and suggestions are made.