Soundtrack royalties in Foreign Collecting Societies

I am doing a research on US film companies' behavor outside the US where collecting societies oblige all copyrighted work, however fixed, even motion pictures and audiovisuals, to collect royalties through its mandatory blanket license. I know that traditionaly in Us the film companies have their own means of monitoring the selling of their films and therefore know how to collect and redistribute royalties. But in most western countries film companies have to go through the collecting societies for the payment of the performing artists in the soundrecording.

Suppose a US film producer, copyright owner of the english version, adapts its film through a work made for hire with foreign subpublisher. Suppose the US film company only sells homevideo in the foreign contry, but here legal tradition wants the audiovisual work to be registered with the collecting society.

Can the US film producer treat its final work all of its own despite of the non-assignable moral right that are within the adaptation of the film to the new market?

Suppose the copyright of the translated work can be assigned to the US company, can it fell free not to go through the foreign collecting society?

"La legge e' come una ragnatela dove vi si impigliano solo le piccole mosche"

• Balzac--

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  Alberto Maria Gallotti Ph. +39.335.31.83.32 MCA - LL.M. Fax +39.6. 333.62.28

       Int'l Copyright & Communication
   http://mix.it/MixNet/Quotidiano/Diritto/ Received on Mon Apr 01 1996 - 09:38:56 GMT