International Authors Forum (IAF) Fair Contracts Working Group

| | Facebook: International Authors Forum Please consider 1. This is a global effort: How can we ensure authors in all countries can improve their position in contract negotiations? 2. What else could be included that would benefit your members? 3. Do you have feedback, information or contacts you could share that would benefit the project?

| | Facebook: International Authors Forum Aims 1. Encourage authors to care about their contracts and actively engage in negotiations with publishers Malawi: “Concern has been raised at various fora that publishers trample upon writers’ rights. However, asked what these rights are, many a writer finds himself lacking in awareness.”

| | Facebook: International Authors Forum Aims 2. Provide a tool for IAF members to enter into a dialogue with publishers to work towards agreed codes of practice Thailand: “At this time the Ministry of Commerce of Thailand is drafting a kind of standard contract for writers to use in order to help protect their rights. In Thailand, the treatment of writers depends on the relationship between the writer and publisher being able to agree terms.”

| | Facebook: International Authors Forum Aims 3. Strengthen the case for changes to national laws to recognise the vulnerable bargaining position of the author and put provisions in place to better regulate the situation Zimbabwe: “Authors for the Zimbabwe Publishing House and other small publishers who supplied books under the ETF programme sold books to UNICEF below cost and did not pay any royalties to their authors.”

| | Facebook: International Authors Forum Example formats The Launch was opened by Trevor Clarke, Assistant Director General at WIPO Guide to Reading and Assessing Publishing Contracts, UNEQ, Québec Contract Dos and Donts, The Writers’ Union of Canada

| | Facebook: International Authors Forum The Principles The Launch was opened by Trevor Clarke, Assistant Director General at WIPO Fair Contract Terms – what we do want Unfair Contract Terms – what we don’t want Defined time limitsUnlimited time periods or automatic renewals Advance and royalties including fair rates for ebooks Buy out or lump sum contracts Rights reversion for non-use of rights and when works go out of print The publisher to retain rights they’re not using Detailed scope of use and the rights the author is giving away Assignment of copyright for all uses now known and unknown The publisher to commit to producing your work in accessible formats No commitment to accessibility Detailed, transparent and regular royalty statements Lack of transparent reporting Moral rights to be asserted and upheldMoral rights waiver The freedom for authors to develop their careers Non-compete clauses binding authors to the publisher Delivery and acceptance terms clearReasons for the publisher to be able to reject your work arbitrarily Indemnification only as far as is reasonableAuthor being liable for matters in publishers’ control

Thank you Katie Webb | | Facebook: International Authors Forum