SIAE Reform and Copyright Law in Italy

On July 28, 2016, the Italian Senate approved the final text of Bill No. 2345, delegating the government to implement several EU directives, including Directive 2014/26/EU on collective management of copyright and related rights. The so-called Barnier Directive aims to harmonize national regulations on collective rights management, establishing requirements for licensing and improving the functioning of collective management organizations. In Italy, this will require adjustments to SIAE (Italian Society of Authors and Publishers), which holds a legal monopoly on intermediation for certain rights under Article 180 of the Copyright Law (Law No. 633/1941). Despite expectations that the directive would abolish SIAE's monopoly, the enabling law does not include the elimination of its exclusivity. The directive sets rules for multiterritorial licensing of online music rights and aims to streamline rights management for authors and users. The article was written by Raffaella Pellegrino, a lawyer specializing in copyright and intellectual property, and published in Artribune Magazine #33.