The European Parliament listens to the creative sector amid the increase in buy-out clauses imposed by global platforms

Articles3 March 2026
The European Parliament is analyzing the increase in buy-out clauses imposed by global platforms, which force authors to cede their rights in exchange for reduced, one-time payments, weakening their position and putting cultural diversity at risk.

Representatives of European composers and authors, including SGAE, met at the European Parliament to call for urgent measures against buy-out clauses for rights, a practice that forces creators to transfer all or part of their rights in exchange for a low one-time payment. The meeting highlighted the growing severity of these practices, especially in the audiovisual sector, and their expansion through video-on-demand (VOD) platforms based outside the EU.


Key points:

  • High-level meeting in Brussels to halt coercive practices: authors, composers, and rights management societies explained to EU officials how rights acquisition contracts have become a common imposition that removes their share of future revenues from their works and reduces their bargaining power against large global platforms.
  • Persistence of clauses that violate European regulations: despite the Copyright Directive 2019/790, which recognizes the right to fair and proportionate remuneration, authors continue to sign contracts that make these principles ineffective, especially when non-European laws and jurisdictions apply.
  • Testimonies evidencing a loss of control: European composers described how these practices force them to relinquish economic and moral rights, authorize unknown future uses, and bear the risk of being professionally excluded if they reject these conditions.
  • Previous warnings from the Parliament and the sector: since 2023, official studies from the European Parliament have identified that global assignments lead to total appropriation of rights, harm the moral rights of authors, and threaten cultural diversity, recommending strengthening the legal framework, reviewing applicable international norms, and moving towards a European status for artists.
  • Call for firm legislative measures: participants insisted that the EU must ensure that European regulations are applicable to all market players, including non-European digital services, and that a sustainable environment is guaranteed where creators can carry out their work with dignity.

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