The Korea Music Copyright Association (Chairman Choo Ga-yeol, hereafter KOMCA) said it will host the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) legal committee meeting at Mondrian Seoul Itaewon from Oct. 21 to 22 for two days.
KOMCA is currently a board member country of CISAC and is actively participating in global copyright policy discussions, and this meeting, as the first time the CISAC legal committee is held in Korea, is significant in that the main stage for international copyright policy discussions has moved to Seoul.
The CISAC legal committee is a major committee within the international confederation CISAC, which comprises copyright collective management organizations around the world, and is responsible for international copyright policy overall, including litigation, legal and policy review, and inter-agency cooperation. It also submits policy-related recommendations to the CISAC board and serves as an advisory body for member organizations. KOMCA said about 30 legal officers from 27 national copyright management organizations are expected to attend this meeting.
As the spread of generative AI accelerates worldwide, the protection of creators' rights is emerging as a key issue in the international copyright community. CISAC released a study last year titled "The economic impact of generative AI in the music and audiovisual sectors," warning that AI technology could fundamentally shake creators' revenue structures and the order of copyright. In particular, lack of transparency in training data, unauthorized use of works, and the potential replacement of human creations have emerged as major issues, prompting governments and international organizations to seek institutional responses.
Against this backdrop, on the first day of the meeting, core issues related to AI and copyright will be intensively discussed under the theme "Copyright systems and legal and policy directions in the age of artificial intelligence." Key legal issues such as the application of reproduction and public transmission rights in the training process of generative AI and exemptions like the Text Data Mining (TDM) safe harbor will be addressed. Plans to discuss ways to harmonize creator rights protection and usage amid AI technological development are also on the agenda.
On the second day, international organization of copyright systems and sector-specific policy responses will be discussed. The operation and oversight systems of collective management organizations (CMOs) in each country will be reviewed and institutional improvement directions sought, while the possibility of establishing a single body to streamline music licensing procedures in the Asia-Pacific region will also be examined. In addition, the status of private copying systems will be shared, including Finland's alternative national system, Mexico's institutional operation cases, and results from international joint research (PC research).
Meanwhile, KOMCA has also prepared a Korean cultural exchange program for the visiting foreign delegation. At the welcome dinner at Samcheonggak on the 21st, a gugak performance featuring traditional Korean instruments such as the gayageum, haegeum and janggu will be presented, and the next day a cultural tour with English-speaking guides will visit Gyeongbokgung Palace and Namsangol Hanok Village. Participants will experience traditional Korean architecture and daily culture and enjoy Korean dishes such as samgyetang and jeon for lunch.
Chairman Choo Ga-yeol said, "This Seoul meeting will serve as an opportunity to concretize international standards and cooperative models for copyright protection in the age of artificial intelligence," and added, "We will actively disseminate the discussion results to promote the rights and interests of domestic and foreign creators and to foster a fair music ecosystem."
In addition, Koo Seong-jun, head of KOMCA's legal team, who was newly elected as a CISAC legal committee member in June, said, "The CISAC legal committee is a key forum that jointly designs the direction of national copyright systems," and added, "Through this meeting, I will do my best to enable Korea to present practical institutional improvements and cooperation measures at the center of international copyright discussions." He went on to say, "Based on the trust and experience KOMCA has built as a board member country, we will create an environment in which domestic creators can be guaranteed their rightful rights in the global market."
[Photo] Provided by KOMCA
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