From September 26-30, CLDP held week-long U.S. Consultations on visual, audio-visual, and grand rights, and internet piracy for a delegation of members of the Georgia Copyright Association (GCA), the Republic of Georgia’s only collective copyright society. The five-member delegation included the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Georgia Copyright Association, as well as the head of the Legal Department and other attorneys for the organization.

Until recently, GCA managed only copyrights of music authors, producers, and performers, but GCA is now beginning to manage visual, audiovisual, and grand rights. During the U.S. Consultations, GCA representatives met with both U.S. government and representatives from the film, television, music, and theater industries. Discussions focused on practical aspects of enforcement and policy work. They also discussed internet piracy and the strategies and steps to combat it.

The U.S. Consultations included segments in both Washington, DC, and New York, NY. In Washington, GCA visited the Department of Commerce and the US Patent and Trademark Office, and met with representatives from the Copyright Alliance and The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition. GCA also visited the offices of 21^st Century Fox, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the offices of the law firm Venable, LLP. The visit to Venable, LLP, included a presentation from the Recording Industry Association of America.  In New York, highlights included a visit to the US District Court, Southern District of New York for a discussion of recent cases related to copyright licensing, collective licensing societies, and Internet piracy, as well as meeting with the Artists’ Rights Society, The Dramatists Guild, and the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).