International Authors Forum
The International Authors Forum (IAF) is an umbrella organisation made up of organisations representing writers and artists, formed in 2013.[1]. IAF states that its mission is to preserve and advocate cultural and linguistic diversity, to encourage countries to support their local and indigenous creators, and to create solidarity between authors worldwide. Its activity is often focused on authors' interests in copyright and related rights, and authors' contracts. IAF attends the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) as an observer. IAF is participates in the nomination process for the UNESCO World Book Capital[2]. IAF's members are organisations representing authors (writers, audio-visual authors and visual artists) including authors' guilds, unions, trade bodies, collecting societies, associations and advocacy groups.
History[edit]
IAF was formally incorporated in 2013 as an umbrella organisation, with members being professional organisations and other such bodies representing authors, to advocate for authors at the international level. The writer Maureen Duffy took a role in generating support for the organisation[3]. IAF officially launched at WIPO in December 2013 with an event featuring authors Maureen Duffy, Joanne Harris, Robert Levine and Roberto Cabot[3].
IAF has supported the establishment of the Artist's Resale Right (or Droit de suite)[4] and Public Lending Right (PLR) around the world. In 2015 IAF established a partnership to work with the Public Lending Right International Network[5]. The organisation has been active on the issue of authors' contracts, it developed principles of fair contracts in agreement with other authors organisation which it calls for publishers to adhere to[6].
As the EU Copyright Directive was in development the IAF highlighted elements of the IAF publicly commented on elements of the Directive that had potentially positive results for authors[7].
Aims and Operation[edit]
At the IAF's launch Maureen Duffy stated that IAF would support authors in the awareness and protection of their rights, stating that "There are far too many countries with no organisations to support their local authors and they tend to get ripped off and they will be increasingly ripped off if they are not made aware of what their rights are and how they should be protected."
Subjects IAF has listed as its areas of focus include:
- Moral and economic rights from the perspective of authors.
- Contracts for authors.
- Artist's Resale Right (ARR) - Which remunerates artists for the resale of originals and limited copies of their work.
- Public Lending Right (PLR) - Which remunerates authors for the use of their works in public libraries.
IAF advocates for effective licensing as a method of remuneration for authors[8], where a licence can be structured so that a school can legally copy a book or other copyright protected material for multiple students without needing to purchase a copy for each student, whilst fairly compensating the author for the use.
In its position as an umbrella organisation focused on authors, the IAF takes part in the advisory committee for nominations for the World Book Capital[9].
Governance[edit]
IAF is governed by a Steering Committee made up of representatives from it's member organisations[10]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ "INTERNATIONAL AUTHORS FORUM - Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ↑ "Guadalajara named World Book Capital 2022". UNESCO. 2020-11-04. Retrieved 2020-11-24. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 "A Fair Deal for Authors". www.wipo.int. Retrieved 2019-12-09.
- ↑ "Standing Committee on Copyright, Chairs Report" (PDF). Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "The AOI - Partnership between the International Authors Forum (IAF) and the International Public Lending Right (IPLR) Network". The AOI. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
- ↑ "International Authors Forum members call for publishers worldwide to listen ..." EIF - European Illustrators Forum. 2016-01-12. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
- ↑ "Looking for Answers to Copyright at IAF Panel In NYC". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
- ↑ "IAF SCCR38 Statement" (PDF). Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "UNESCO World Book Capital". UNESCO. 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2021-03-08. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "IAF Governance". Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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