A version of this post originally appeared on the IFRRO (International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations) Website.
On 2 August, Tracey Armstrong, President and CEO of CCC and President of the IFRRO Board of Directors, delivered a speech at this year’s Indian Publishers Conference: Unleashing Digital Potential, organized by the Federation of Indian Publishers (FIP) in collaboration with IFRRO member, the Indian Reprographic Rights Organization (IRRO). Armstrong highlighted the role of RROs and Collective Management during her intervention, particularly given the challenges AI is posing to the publishing industries.
When speaking about IFRRO’s position with regards to the transformative power of digital technologies for the publishing ecosystem, Armstrong said that “IFRRO is committed to driving the development of a balanced and inclusive global, regional and national copyright ecosystem, where the solutions offered by RROs, authors and publishers are recognized and used as a tool to ensure thriving national publishing markets, and ultimately contribute to the livelihood of authors and publishers.”
In her speech, Armstrong also reminded decision makers that “It is imperative that AI-related policies include real protections for authors, artists, publishers and other rightsholders. Licensing solutions such as direct and collective licensing meet the needs of technology companies, users of copyrighted works, authors and publishers.”
Armstrong concluded her speech by expressing her excitement about the 2025 IFRRO Asia Pacific Committee (APC) meeting, which will be hosted by IRRO in New Dellhi. The full text of her remarks can be found here.