IP WEEKLY UPDATES (HOT TOPICS)

4/04/2023

META AND SIAE FAIL TO REACH AN AGREEMENT: MINISTRY OF CULTURE CONVENES TABLE ON 6 APRIL

 

Meta stated that it had not reached an agreement with Siae to renew the licence to use music from the collecting society’s repertoire. The holding company of Facebook and Instagram therefore announced and then carried out the removal from social networks of the music content included in the Siae repertoire. The non-agreement sets a precedent on an international level, as Zuckerberg’s colossus concludes copyright agreements on a global scale. Moreover, on a local level, Meta’s decision affects not only the authors represented by Siae, but also all other entities that are involved in various ways in the creation, performance and production of the musical content included in the SIAE repertoire. These entities are blocked even though they currently have a licence agreement with Meta. The social media approach is therefore considerable and affects the entire national music sector. The reason for the conflict is to be found in the context of the transposition of the Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive in Italy, which requires that providers of online content sharing services that communicate or make available to the public copyrighted works must obtain authorisation from the rights holders.
The issue has been much debated over the last few days: while Meta is asking to be able to use the tracks in Siae’s repertoire under conditions similar to those stipulated in the previous agreement, the latter is demanding more substantial fees and full information on the use, under the new regulations. In the meantime, the two parties are trying to reach an agreement as soon as possible, and to this very purpose a round table convened by the Ministry of Culture will be held on 6 April.