SACD (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques)

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An authors rights' collective management society, founded in France on 7 March 1829 as "Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques" (English: "Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers")^[1]. The Society manages, promotes and protects the performance rights of theatrical, audivisual or photographic works for their creators by collecting royalties and authorising performances. ^[2]

1 History
2 Current Activities
3 References
4 External links

[edit] History

It can trace its origins to the French playwright Beaumarchais who brought together a group of writers on 3 July 1777 to form a "Society of Dramatic Authors" (French: société des auteurs dramatiques).

At the time, the all-powerful members of the Comédie Française enjoyed, and abused, a monopolistic situation whereby every author of a play written in verse was obligated to give them first refusal. And, even if accepted, the author received a pittance, in no way reflecting the success of a work such as The Barber of Seville.^[3]

On 13 January 1791, the French Assembly officially recognised the concept of author's rights (French: droit d’auteur) in a law later ratified on 19 January 1791 by Louis XVI. To quote the legislation: "the most sacred, the most unassailable and the most personal of possessions is the fruit of a writer’s thought"^[4].

Beaumarchais brought together twenty-two authors to form the first "Bureau of Dramatic Law" in 1791. Another bureau was founded in 1798, and the two were brought together on 7 March 1829 to form the Society.

[edit] Current Activities

In 2006 the Society represented about 44,000 members in the performing arts and audiovisual sectors.^[5] The entire SACD repertoire currently comprises about 500,000 works, from the performing arts and the audiovisual sector.^[6]