Stockholm the 13 th December

Bundeskanzler der
Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Herrn Gerhard Schröder
Bundeskanzleramt-Schlossplatz 1
D - 110 12 Berlin
DEUTSCHLAND

Dear Sir,

On behalf of the Swedish Joint Committée for Artistic and Literary Professionals (KLYS), an umbrella organisation for national Swedish organizations in the cultural area, I wish to congratulate you and your government to your draft proposal of May 2001 concerning creative and performing artists situation in contractual law. The proposal is aimed to strengthen the position of creative and performing artists and their professional organisations when negotiating terms and conditions of for instance publishing contracts with publishers.

Your initiative draws attention and is a long awaited reaction to the harsh conditions under which the vast majority of professional creative and performing artists in all European countries have to work - this being due to the nowadays recognised fact that the single artist is the weaker contracting party when dealing with the powerful publishing houses, broadcasting companies, film producers, record companies etc of today (not seldom also having an oligopolistic position).

Until now there has been no support in our copyright laws for the artists' professional organistions to act as the party establishing fair and equitable standards upon which the single artist can rely. In principle it has been left open for the counterpart, normally a company in a superiour position, to establish contractual conditions most suitable for them. Until now there hasn't been established a real possibility for the professional artist and his organisation to bargain "at eye level" with the other parties´ representatives, subject to arbitration by a designated public authority.

It is our sincere hope that your legislation initiative soon will become German law. In Sweden your initiative has already been pointed out by the creative and performing artists´ organisations as the example to be followed by the Swedish legislator.

Yours sincerely

THE SWEDISH JOINT COMMITTÉE FOR ARTISTIC AND LITERARY PROFESSIONALS (KLYS)

Peter Curman
President