Last week, EVA took part in the first Public Lending Right International (PLRI) Conference in Paris, kindly hosted by LaSofia (Société Française des Intérêts des Auteurs de l’Écrit) the French CMO for authors and publishers in the book sector.
Over two days, experts, authors, visual artists, translators, publishers and CMOs from around the world came together with a shared objective: discuss how to protect, strengthen and further establish fair Public Lending Right schemes for all rightsholders.
Public Lending Right is a legal mechanism providing rightsholders a remuneration from governments to compensate for the lending of their books by public libraries, based on the principle of “no use without remuneration”.
The keynote speeches, panel discussions and breakout sessions provided participants with valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing PLR systems today, while helping participants gather knowledge and best practices to continue defending existing schemes and advancing the establishment of this essential right where it does not exist yet.
A particular inspiring contribution came from visual artist Isabelle Bonameau Lemordan, who shared her personal experience with the French PLR system. Since its introduction in French law in 2003, PLR provided her with a safety net and an important source of income, helping her to sustain her work as illustrator for children’s books.
The conference also provided an opportunity to pay tribute to two PLR champions who sadly passed away this year, Jim Parker and Maureen Duffy, whose advocacy contributed significantly to the recognition of PLR internationally.
The next PLR International Conference will take place in 2028, continuing the collective effort to strengthen this important right for creators worldwide.
©PLRI