The Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE) is launching a new series of online meetings to exchange information on various issues.

Meeting #1 – AI & the Berne Convention: the old treaty that might just save screenwriters will take place Online on 11th September from 12:00 to 13:00 (Brussels time).

FSE write “A few months ago, the Berne Convention sounded like something out of a dusty law library, a relic from 1886, signed in the age of gas lamps and typewriters.

But now?

As artificial intelligence systems are trained on millions of creative works without permission, this “old” treaty may be the strongest legal shield we have.

At the very moment EU law introduces loopholes like the “Text and Data Mining” exception, effectively legalising mass use of copyrighted works unless authors opt out , the Berne Convention returns to the frontline. Why? Because two powerful weapons are hidden in this international treaty:

The “three-step test”, a strict legal framework that any copyright exception must pass.
A core principle that no formalities can be required to protect authors’ rights, meaning authors shouldn’t have to register, label, or “opt out” to be protected.

Denis Goulette, Délégué Général of the FSE, invites you to a one-hour strategic session to:

Re(discover) what the Berne Convention really says (no legal jargon needed),
Understand how guilds can use it politically in the fight against AI training practices,
And learn why the Court of Justice of the European Union has already ruled against optout systems that bypass the core rights of authors.

An old treaty. A new battleground. A moment for action.

Join us, and let’s bring international law back into the conversation.”

Save the date and invitations to come!