As first reported by TBI Vision, FRAPA released an open letter to Reed Midem pointing to recent allegations of IP theft against various Chinese broadcasters and platforms, as well as current government regulations in China that have resulted in a significant decrease in imported titles and adapted international formats permitted to air via broadcasters or streaming platforms.
Still, rather than focusing on one territory or set of concerns, Gurin says the intent of the declaration is to unite all stakeholders in the industry behind the idea that collaboration is key to a healthy creative community.
“The main thing is that hopefully, people will say, ‘Yes, we can get behind these 10 points. We can see how they can help us,’” he tells realscreen.
“We’re choosing the words ‘collaboration’ and ‘cooperation’ very specifically – it’s not about anyone ‘versus’ anyone else.”
In releasing the declaration to the wider world, FRAPA says the document, issued last Thursday (November 22) by the organization, “is meant for every stakeholder in the format industry, not just FRAPA members,” and “attempts to clearly state the principals we hold dear and valuable.”
Among the 10 items in the document: “The ideas of the artist are good and valuable and have inherent monetary value”; “the value of a created work is negotiable but sacrosanct to the integrity of the global intellectual property industry”; and “Intellectual property is a protectable idea and should never be infringed upon by outright copying or theft. Do not rip someone off.