As part of a multi-phase technical assistance project on capacity building and public awareness engagement on collective copyright management with the Georgian Copyright Association (GCA), CLDP held a training in cooperation with GCA September 9, 2013 at GCA’s offices in Tbilisi, Georgia. GCA is the sole collective copyright management organization (CMO) of authors’ rights and related rights in Georgia. The one-day training for GCA staff addressed specific topics of interest and ongoing copyright protection challenges in Georgia. In partnership with GCA, CLDP then hosted a one-day awareness raising workshop on September 10, 2013 on collective copyright management for Georgian government representatives, local businesses, and rights holders, to discuss the importance of collective copyright management and impediments to its effective enforcement in Georgia. On September 11th, CLDP support the implementation of a one-day informational program organized for GCA members.

The programs were led by a copyright and CMO consultant and advisors from several large US-based CMOs, including the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), who highlighted the important role collective management organizations play in protecting the interests of creators and end-users, as well as the importance of protecting intellectual property and its impact on the economy, innovation, creativity, and culture.  The training for GCA staff included presentations and a case study exercise to demonstrate the role of a CMO in copyright protection, as well as the limitations to the actions and interventions CMO’s can initiate. The awareness workshop included panel discussions and question and answer sessions to address best practices for collective management organizations, licensing, reprography, and enforcement.

CLDP will continue to cooperate with GCA in 2014, both assisting the organization with capacity building through relevant trainings and materials acquisition, as well as technical assistance to raise awareness in Georgia of the importance of collective copyright management.