The cultural sector mobilizes to give the deserved visibility to Creation

World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated today, April 26th. The cultural sector mobilizes to give the deserved visibility to Creation...

World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated today, April 26th. The cultural sector mobilizes to give the deserved visibility to Creation.

→ On the occasion of World Intellectual Property Day, the main representatives of creators and cultural industries attended a reception in the Upper House, where they have highlighted the strategic value of the sector and the collaboration of public authorities to strengthen the ecosystem of Intellectual Property.

→ The President of the Senate, Pedro Rollán, from his responsibility as the third authority of the State, has defined the sector, for which he feels passion, as “industries that work for the future, that are financing a dream”.

→ The sector contributes 3.4% to the Spanish GDP (more than 31,000 million euros), in addition to generating 723,000 jobs, 3.5% of the total in our country, and is key due to its interaction with education, tourism and telecommunications.

Madrid, April 26, 2025. On the occasion of World Intellectual Property (IP) Day, which has been commemorated every April 26 since 2000 to raise awareness of its necessary protection and defend the social and economic contribution of cultural and industrial creation, the culture and entertainment sector in Spain, grouped in The Coalition of Creators and Content Industries, has held an institutional meeting with Pedro Rollán, president of the Senate, in which he has again made visible the firm commitment of the public authorities to the defense of IP. At the same time, he highlighted the numerous legislative initiatives that have been processed in recent years with the aim of safeguarding the work of creators and the industries and entities linked to creation in our country.

The representatives of the different sectors and members of the Coalition who took on the mission of conveying to the President of the Senate the state of the sector and the strategic challenges it faces were: Antonio Guisasola, president of PROMUSICAE and AGEDI, for the music sector; Estela Artacho, president of FEDICINE and Octavio Dapena, director of EGEDA and PlatinoEduca, for the film and series sector; José María Moreno, general director of AEVI, for the video game sector; Vera Wrana, director of Institutional Relations of SGAE, as representative of the entire authors’ collective; Javier Díaz De Olarte, director of Legal Services of CEDRO, for the book-publishing and press sector; Javier Fuente, director of VEGAP, for the plastic and visual arts sector; and Carlota Navarrete, general director of the Coalición de Creadores e Industrias de Contenidos (Coalition of Creators and Content Industries).

As happened in 2023, when the sector was received by the president of the Congress of Deputies, Meritxell Batet, the visit to Pedro Rollán, president of the Senate and third highest authority of the State, adds to the tradition undertaken for years by the Coalition to bring authorities and public entities, coinciding with World IP Day, first-hand information and thus recognize the important role of these institutions in the day-to-day life of creators and the sector.

Necessary activism against digital piracy

The Coalition has reminded Pedro Rollán, who has remained very attentive during the more than two hours that the meeting has lasted, of the importance not only cultural or social of the sector, but also of its economic and labor aspect, since it contributes 3.4% to the Spanish GDP (more than 31,000 million euros), in addition to generating 723,000 jobs, 3.5% of the total in our country. He has also stressed the fact that it is still necessary a strong activism against digital content piracy, a scourge that in 2023 caused losses to the sector of 2,000 million euros, to the public coffers of 600 and the loss of more than 100,000 jobs (data from the Observatory of piracy and consumption habits of digital content 2023). “Without the protection of the rights of creators and cultural industries, it would be impossible for culture to continue providing society with the multiple benefits it has been providing, essential for human beings and democracy, and also strategic for our global positioning”, said the Coalition.

Its representatives have also detailed the numerous challenges of a sector that is experiencing a moment of expansion, social support and creativity, a real “boom”, but that has to face the challenges posed by new players such as social networks, artificial intelligence or the management of algorithms.

“Industries that are financing a dream”

For his part, Pedro Rollán, who took a detailed interest in the problems of each of the sectors, defined them as “industries that are going into the future, that are financing a dream”, while rejecting piracy, stating that it is a phenomenon that must be vigorously combated because “it kills the creator”, and expressed his firm and proactive commitment against this scourge.

In an enriching and relaxed atmosphere, the different and important legislative initiatives underway were also discussed, in particular, those which are somewhat advanced in the Congress: the Bill for the creation of the Spanish Copyright and Related Rights Office and the Bill for the Cinema and Audiovisual Culture Law, which will go to the Senate once they have been finalized in the Lower House. The Coalition also wanted to make visible the enormous regulatory work of substantial and constant improvement of the last 10-15 years, in favor of the fight against infringements of IP rights and in favor of the protection of creators and Culture, and the daily work carried out by the Sub-Directorate of Intellectual Property of the Ministry and the Second Section of Intellectual Property, the State Security Forces and Corps and the judicial instances to contribute to the consolidation of an essential social awareness of the value of creators and creation.

Music, the protagonist in this 2025

In 2025, WIPO has chosen as its theme for this edition “IP and Music: To the Rhythm of IP”, motivating that “with its rhythms that make us dance and lyrics that move us and appeal to our deepest emotions, musical creation enriches all aspects of our lives. Music is a universal means of creative expression and IP rights play an essential role in fostering a dynamic and diverse music scene.

Music is present in our lives, but also in sectors such as film, video art, literature, video games, technology, fashion and consumer goods, and this World IP Day has sought to highlight the creativity and innovation of the music scene, while inviting citizens and public authorities to protect the rights of creators, innovators and entrepreneurs and defend the work of authors, composers, performers and all those who create the music we love and animates our lives, as the backbone of the global event that unites millions of creators.