CISAC visits Macau to dicuss music copyright development

Gonçalo Cabral (center) with representatives of CISAC and MACA

Representatives of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) visited Macau yesterday to learn about music copyright development in the region. Satoshi Watanabe, CISAC chairman for the Asia-Pacific, and Benjamin Ng, CISAC regional director for the Asia-Pacific, also visited the Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance with Ung Kuoc Iang, the CEO of the Macau Association of Composers, Authors and Publishers (MACA), to have a meeting with Gonçalo Cabral, the legal counsel of GSEF.

During the meeting, Cabral shared the legal developments regarding the protection of intellectual property rights with the visitors. Ung introduced the past and current events of MACA on the promotion and education of Macau citizens about the protection of intellectual property and copyright in music , and the development of music licensing over the past 10 years.

According to a press release issued yesterday by MACA, “CISAC and national associations have always been concerned about the development of copyright in Macau, especially on broadcast media, cinemas, karaoke and the use of its members’ music works by digital transmission.”

CISAC is a non-profit and non-government organization which works closely with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The members include more than 230 collective management organizations around the world, 30 of which are from the Asia Pacific region. Through CISAC, MACA has signed reciprocal agreements with 49 overseas collective management organizations, managing the musical works of more than 2 million music creators in 110 countries and regions.