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| IFRRO Asia Pacific Committee members. Photo by Ronald Verzo. |
FILCOLS
hosts IFRRO Asia Pacific Committee regional meet
The
Filipinas Copyright Licensing Society, Inc. (FILCOLS) hosted the Asia Pacific Committee
(APC) regional gathering of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights
Organizations (IFRRO) at the Manila Diamond Hotel on September 18.
Led by
IFRRO chief executive officer Olav Stokkmo, the APC meeting also featured a
seminar on transparency, accountability, and good governance for collective
management organizations (CMO) in line with the current direction from the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
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| IFRRO CEO Olav Stokkmo introduced the panel discussion on education licensing. Photo by Ronald Verzo. |
Stokkmo
said, “CMOs are generally asked to demonstrate transparency, accountability,
and good governance in its day-to-day operations.”
APC chair
Caroline Morgan presented the National Report for the Copyright Agency -
Viscopy (CA) where she highlighted their campaigns Reading Australia and Copyright.
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| Caroline Morgan presented the Australian national report before members of the APC. Photo by Ronald Verzo. |
General
Counsel Karen Pitt presented the CA board structure, tenure, and profile. She
focused on the importance of having independent directors to provide balance
and settle issues internally free from interest.
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| Copyright Agency general counsel Karen Pitt. Photo by Ronald Verzo. |
Book
Development Association of the Philippines (BDAP) president Lirio P. Sandoval
attended the opening of the APC seminar together with Anvil publishing manager Karina
Bolasco.
Sandoval,
one of the founders of FILCOLS and its current treasurer, said "The BDAP
will support FILCOLS as long as necessary." He also thanked Stokkmo for never
giving up on the idea of establishing a CMO in the Philippines since the early
2000s.
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| BDAP president Lirio P. Sandoval (seated) during the presentation of FILCOLS executive director Alvin J. Buenaventura. Photo by Ronald Verzo. |
Bolasco,
one of the founding board members of FILCOLS and its current vice chair,
expressed gratitude for the help of Australians Morgan and Pitt, and Paul Wee
of the Copyright Licensing and Administration Society of Singapore (CLASS). They
conducted many seminars in the country together with Stokkmo to encourage
authors and publishers to set up a CMO.
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| Karina Bolasco (seated) and Karen Pitt at the opening of the APC seminar. Photo by Ronald Verzo. |
Bolasco
also thanked Michael Healy, international relations chief of the Copyright Clearance
Center (CCC), for providing support to FILCOLS executive director Alvin J.
Buenaventura and licensing officer Napoleon G. Almonte via the International Advancement Program (IAP) held at the CCC headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts.
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| (L-R) CCC's Michael Healy, Copyright Licensing New Zealand CEO Paula Browning, and CLASS's Paul Wee. Photo by Ronald Verzo. |
IAP aims to
support emerging CMOs in the publishing sector through operational and
technical support, marketing, and educational tools. FILCOLS was the first CMO
to benefit from this program.
Months
prior to the event, Morgan coordinated with Buenaventura to arrange details on
the ground like venue selection and reservation, provision of support staff and
equipment, among others.
The APC
meeting and seminar coincided with the international event Copy & Repro
which is one of the highlights of the 35th Manila International Book
Fair to be held on September 19 at the SMX, Mall of Asia in Pasay City.
The APC is made up of CMOs from Australia, China, Faroe Islands, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Viet Nam.
The authors allow the reposting of the unaltered
article along with photos provided the following is included at the end:
Text by Alvin J. Buenaventura. Photos by Ronald
Verzo. For more information, please visit http://filcols.blogspot.com
