Address by Frédéric Mitterrand, Minister of Culture and Communication, on the occasion of the celebration of 25 years of support for creation through private copying

We have come together to celebrate a beautiful anniversary. For 25 years, the
private copying provides essential support for cultural actions
and creation in France.
Large and small festivals, plays, concerts, street shows or
of puppets, art exhibitions, lyric music, contemporary music,
visual arts, multimedia creators, short films,
creative documentaries, major reports, film writing or
circus arts… We could continue the list, but the film that
will be projected in a moment will better reflect the importance and
the variety of projects and events supported, in the most
support for the creation, dissemination of works, promotion of
artists, training assistance…
Every year, all over France, from Arles to Sarlat, via
Angers or Clermont-Ferrand, that’s close to 5,000 projects.
supported by the Fourth Copy
for an amount of nearly €50 million.
This important and effective contribution to artistic vitality and
the cultural diversity of our country deserved a celebration.
why did I not hesitate for a moment to say yes when Christophe
Barratier, on behalf of the collective management organisations and societies brought together
within the association «culture with private copying» has approached us
so that this celebration can be held on rue de Valois.
This initiative seemed to me to be all the more fortunate since the support for
creation offered by private copying as more broadly the device of the
private copying itself are often misunderstood or misunderstood.
Since the Law of 3 July 1985, the exception for private copying allows all
a person to reproduce a work protected for their personal use,
without first having to obtain the permission of the beneficiary on this
work. This exception goes hand in hand with compensation, based on the
Media for copying music or images that pay
holders of rights under these private copying acts.
The legislator very wisely wished that a quarter of the amounts
In this context, the Commission will be allocating funds to measures to promote creation.
The device thus designed made it possible to find a balance between the aspiration
access to the works and the necessary preservation of the
remuneration of creators, performers and producers.
It was an adequate and flexible response to the need
adaptation of intellectual property to technological and
cultural practices.
I would like to emphasize here that this device, which has demonstrated its ability
has not lost any of its relevance and timeliness,
quite the contrary.
It is perfectly normal that the compensation, yesterday sitting mainly
on audio or video cassettes, then CDs and DVDs, take into account
new digital media – such as digital walkers,
mobile phones, or soon multimedia tablets – in
the extent to which private copying is performed.
Given the very legitimate enthusiasm for these new
technological tools - tools that are more valuable when they are used
to access and reproduce cultural works - it is not
not serious, it is not acceptable, to argue that fair pay
rights holders may constitute any obstacle to the policy
manufacturers. You know my constant commitment
and permanent to defend artists and creators in the age of
digitization. Let us never forget that without cultural content of
quality, these new terminals would have no existence!
Of course, the decisions in question must be carefully examined and
discussed in the private committee. I know that the chairman of
this independent commission, Raphaël Hadas-Lebel, is very attentive and
I want to thank him for the important work he has done.
It also seems normal to me that, for reasons of simplicity,
The Court of Justice of the European
copies made by the public be taken at source from the
manufacturers and importers of media, according to a pooling principle.
We do not have every day 25 years and «since this day passes too fast», I
I will now give the floor to Christophe Barratier.
I would like to thank all the organizers of this
event, in the forefront of which the members of the association
Culture with private copying” and its president.
You want the general public to be aware of
the cultural importance of private copying.
Be assured of all my support in this educational enterprise because
it is essential that the public measure the decisive indirect support that through
private copying, it brings to creators.
Also rest assured of my determination to defend the essential tool
funding of culture invented 25 years ago and that we
celebrate today. As Sacha Guitry used to say: Me
would you give twenty-five years? - If I were twenty-five, I would keep them
for me”. So let us preserve and protect together the precious property of
private copying.