Streaming Services and IP Protection

Ongoing

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September 2023
Update from Chair of the Industrial Relations Committee

Dear AGSC members,

The Labor Government is set to possibly introduce long overdue quotas for streaming services. The four Guilds (AGSC, SPA, AWG and ADG) have written a letter to the Ministers for the Arts, Communications, Industry and the Attorney-General voicing our concerns about the lack of commitment by the Australian Government to protect intellectual property. We are asking them to meet with us so we can educate them about our industry and the challenges we are facing in today’s media landscape. Most importantly, we want the protection of Australian intellectual property to be part of any proposed legislation for streaming services. 

We strongly encourage everyone to write a letter, call or schedule a meeting with their local Member. We need to educate as many Members as we can about why this is important – to ensure sustainable careers in the arts. See the ‘Take Action” section below.

If you have any questions, please contact Brontë Horder (member of the AGSC’s Industrial Relations Committee) at horderbronte@gmail.com.

Sincerely,
Antony Partos
AGSC Chair of the Industrial Relations Committee

Take Action

1. Find your local Member via this website: https://electorate.aec.gov.au/

Search by locality, suburb or postcode to find your electorate. Click on your Federal electorate and you will see the Member listed.

2. Using the Member name, enter it in this search and it will list their contact information: https://www.aph.gov.au/senators_and_members/guidelines_for_contacting_senators_and_members

3. We also encourage you to write a letter to the Minister for the Arts Tony Burke – multiple composers requesting the same consideration for future legislation will have great impact. You can contact him via his website: https://www.tonyburke.com.au/contact

Antony Partos (Chair of the AGSC Industrial Relations Committee) has drafted a letter to his local MP and provided it as a template for others to use. See below:

Dear *insert Member name*,

My name is *insert name* and I am a screen composer living in your electorate. 

The Labor Government is set to possibly introduce long overdue quotas for streaming services, in order to provide a sustainable film and TV industry.

Our various industry representative bodies have been lobbying for years for streaming services to reinvest 20% of their locally derived income back into making, buying and promoting Australian content. I am asking that you support legislating this quota.

I also want to bring to your attention that Australian intellectual property is currently under threat. 

Screen music intellectual property revenue in Australia alone returns approximately $100 million to the Australian economy through the APRA AMCOS royalty distribution process per year. Historically screen composers have retained their IP (writer’s and publisher’s share), however this environment is radically changing due to the influence of overseas contracts and work cultures permeating the industry. 

You will no doubt have heard about the actors and writers’ strike in the US. In Australia, we face a similar erosion of our rights since streaming services have begun operations here. 

Screen composers, writers, directors and producers are all increasingly confronted with grossly unfair contracts by streaming platforms – often referring to US copyright law rather than Australian. This new style of contracts represent a radical change in business practice in the Australian screen industry. The result of these practices is an accelerating loss of rights to our creativity and culture.

Australian taxpayers provide significant investment of taxpayer dollars as incentives and tax rebates to ensure we have a competitive screen industry. Yet at the same time, there is currently no regulation to keep Australian generated IP from these Australian tax payer funded projects.

The Australian Film and TV industry needs protection and retention of Australian intellectual property, and it must be part of any proposed legislation for streaming services. If not, we risk intellectual property and the subsequent economic benefit being taken out of Australia and owned outright by multinational companies.

I would like to set up a meeting with you in order to discuss these matters in further detail.

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Best,
*insert name*
*include your First & Last Name, Address & Mobile Number*

Make it Australian

November 2020 – Ongoing

Quick Links:

Summary

The Federal Government is undertaking a targeted stakeholder consulttion around Australian screen content requirements on streaming services. These requirements are vital to the future of our industry, ensuring investment in Australian IP and stories, regardless of platform.

Take Action

Join your screen industry colleagues in the MAKE IT AUSTRALIAN campaign formed in 2017, working to unite directors, producers, writers, screen composers, editors, designers, actors, HODs and crews to support a sustainable industry.

Write to the Prime Minister and your local MP to let them know that our Australian stories need to be told, and need strong rules and support to continue reaching audiences. See the quick links in the left-side panel for more information. Your voice has never been so important.

Questions? Contact us at kingston@agsc.org.au and we’ll set up a time for someone to have a chat!

August 2023
Update from the AGSC President

Dear AGSC members,

As you will be aware, the Federal Government is working on legislation to regulate streaming services like Netflix and STAN to ensure that they produce Australian content. We have been working with our colleagues at Screen Producers Australia, Australian Writers’ Guild, Australian Directors’ Guild, Australian Cinematographers’ Society, Australian Screen Editors, Australian Screen Sound Guild, Australian Production Design Guild and Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance through the Australian Screen Industry Group (ASIG) to ensure that we get the best result for the screen industry and the best possible terms for composers. To this end ASIG is proposing a lobbying campaign to ensure that we get the best outcome for the industry. Below is information on this lobbying program which we urge all AGSC members to join. 

Part of this campaign is to write and/or speak to your local members to ensure that we get the terms and conditions we need. All the guilds have agreed on baisc terms such as a 20% injection from streamers from their Australian income into the production of new Australian drama, children’s and documentary programs. However, as you know as composers, there are also a number of other issues that affect your work and livelihood. We need to ensure that these are also clearly articulated to politicians when they are making decisions on drafting new legislation. We have already firmly articulated these points to Minister Tony Burke and the Department for the Arts and will continue to do so. It would also be enormously helpful if you could also discuss these issues (listed in dot points below) with your local members.

The basic issues are are focussing on are as follows:

• The creative Intellectual Property of screen composers needs to be recognised in any definition of ‘Australian-ness’;
• That any legislation that regulates streaming services includes and names Australian screen composers as part of any ‘Australian Test’;
• That Australian composers are contracted under agreements that are consistent with Australian law and industry-agreed fair and reasonable contracts;
• That Australian composers are not subject to US-style contracts, in particular ‘Work for Hire’ contracts;
• That Australian composers retain copyright in their work as outlined in the Australian Copyright Act;
• That protection and regulation for screen composers who sign buyout contracts to have the rights of reversion on works that are not being exploited after a set period of time;
• That protections are put in place so that creators are able to exit contractual agreements, (i.e. revocation rights) if they were coerced, or forced into a contract where they may not have fully understood the scope, where an unfair formation of a contract has occurred; or where any other unconscionable conduct has occurred.

This is an important and crucial time for our industry. This regulation will be the template for the entire industry into the future and will be used to further regulate Free-to-Air television and cable. We hope you can join your colleagues from the other guilds to secure our future. 

Sincerely,
Dale Cornelius
AGSC President