Sky and Siae end their disputes and sign a new copyright agreement

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Peace made between Sky and Siae. On royalties, the agreement was found by putting an end to a long-standing dispute that has seen Siae and Sky cross swords several times in court. “These new agreements launch a new course in the collaboration between two of the major players in the Italian creative industry, with a common commitment to enhance and protect copyright, first of all through the fight against piracy”, reads the press release. joint.

The terms of the agreement

The agreement is all-encompassing. A tombstone is placed on everything and everything is understood in the agreement, precisely to avoid finding oneself again in the future in the quicksand of dispute. In the new pact signed between the parties, the square was found on the «remuneration of both the Music and Cinema repertoires and those of dramatic, lyrical, literary and figurative arts works. In particular, licenses have been stipulated – continues the joint press release – for all musical uses of Sky Italia as well as a new contract for the payment of fair compensation to the authors of cinematographic works and TV series, who are part of the ‘large catalog of content offered by Sky. These agreements are also accompanied by those relating to the NOW service, the OTT offer that allows you to view Sky content in streaming».

The satisfaction of Duilio and Blandini

Andrea Duilio, CEO of Sky, says he is «very proud of these new agreements which strengthen our collaborative relationship with Siae, the largest Italian collecting society. For those like us who promote the creativity and growth of young talents, with original productions that also look to international markets, the launch of this new course is certainly a very positive fact and I am sure it is also for the entire audiovisual system”. , concludes the manager.

The general manager of Siae, Gaetano Blandini, for his part comments saying that «partnerships of this magnitude, with a strategic operator in the communication and cultural life of our country, make a concrete contribution to the growth and development of the cultural industry, a sector essential for the relaunch of the country system”.

The subject of the dispute

Before today’s agreement, the affair had ended up in court. Siae, for the period 2017-2020, claimed uncollected credits for an amount between 25 and 30 million. The media company returned all allegations to the sender. On May 7, 2021, the Authors and Publishers Society had sent a warning to the Comcast subsidiary which, in response, had objected and had turned to the Court of Milan to protect its interests. The object of the dispute was essentially private copying: a fee that producers and importers of electronic devices are required to pay as compensation to the holders of the rights to copy the works (musical and video).