On April 28, 2017, SODRAC participated in the International Conference on the Artist’s Resale Right held at the headquarters of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva, Switzerland, ahead of the 34th session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR).
Invited for the occasion, Mr. Mattiusi Iyaituk, an internationally renowned Inuit artist, was accompanied by Mr. Gilles Lessard, Manager of Visual Arts and Crafts at SODRAC. In a panel of artists from all corners of the world, Mr. Iyaituk gave a vibrant testimony on the importance of adopting a universal resale right to contribute to the well-being of creators, particularly that of Inuit artists.
This conference allowed the creators themselves to emphasize the fundamental character of the artist’s resale right, which ensures that they receive a small percentage of the sale price of their works when they are resold, for example by art galleries or auction houses.
Representatives of copyright collective societies, art market professionals and high-level policy makers from WIPO member states were also taking part in this event, a new step in the joint campaign initiated by organizations to which SODRAC is affiliated, CISAC, EVA and GESAC, aiming at promoting the international adoption of the resale right.
In Canada, the artist’s resale right has not been yet adopted, although it is already in force in more than 80 countries around the world. The conference also demonstrated that the adoption of the artist’s resale right had no negative impact on the art market. SODRAC is therefore continuing its efforts to have this essential right introduced here and elsewhere, to enable creators to increase their income and benefit from the success of their works.