The Moroccan Office of Copyright and Related Rights has clarified the claims circulating on various electronic platforms and social media regarding its role in collecting authors’ rights, asserting that the information being spread contains inaccuracies without any legal basis.
The office stated that it was established under Law 25.19 as a collective management entity in the form of a legal entity subject to public law. The legislator entrusted it with the task of protecting and exploiting authors’ rights and related rights, based on what is stipulated in Articles 1 and 60 of the legal framework governing this field.
Consequently, the office is tasked with essential duties that include collecting rights linked to the exploitation of literary and artistic works, distributing these rights to authors and holders of related rights, as well as monitoring and tracking the various forms of use of these works, intervening in cases of unauthorized exploitation.
The statement clarified that the collection process is carried out according to official schedules published in the official gazette since April 2014, covering a wide range of users, including cafes, restaurants, hotels, cinemas, festivals, and tourist complexes, as they benefit from the transmission of protected works to the public via television, radio, or any other means of communication. The source emphasized that these are “rights” owed to authors, not fines or fees as mentioned in some circulated articles.
The office affirms that its sworn agents carry out monitoring duties, draft reports, and seize equipment used in unauthorized exploitation, in accordance with the law. The office’s role in collecting rights is not new; it dates back to 1943, followed by a reorganization after independence, while continuing to operate under international agreements and mutual representation contracts that allow for the distribution of rights to both Moroccan and foreign authors.
The statement emphasized that the amounts collected are periodically distributed to authors and holders of related rights, while the office resorts to legal action in cases where some exploiters refuse to settle their status or pay the dues, where numerous rulings in its favor have been made in recent years, despite its preference for amicable solutions.
The office also reminded that authors’ rights are not subject to statute of limitations, and that benefiting from them extends throughout the author’s life and for seventy years after their death for the benefit of their heirs, before the works enter the public domain, with the office continuing to collect rights in accordance with current legislation.
