What is SOZA

What is SOZA?

The Slovak Performing and Mechanical Rights Society (SOZA) implements international standards of copyright protection in the territory of the Slovak Republic. These standards have been applied at the international level since 1886 under the Berne Convention. The Slovak legal system has incorporated these international standards, which are applied through the Copyright Act. In each country, these standards are implemented by collective management organisations (CMOs) — organisations established by authors and rights holders themselves.

Representation

CMOs represent not only local authors in their respective countries, but also foreign authors from countries where the CMOs have entered into reciprocal representation agreements. SOZA represents rights holders — composers, co-authors, music arrangers, and lyricists and librettists, as well as publishers of those works. On their behalf, SOZA monitors the use of musical works in the territory of the Slovak Republic, collects royalties, and provides administrative, economic, and legal services. On the basis of authorisations granted by rights holders, SOZA issues licences for the use of music to users.

SOZA is an independent organisation with legal personality, acting on its own behalf in collecting, managing, and distributing royalties to the authors and publishers of musical works, in accordance with the Copyright Act and applicable implementing regulations.

From a legal standpoint, SOZA is a non-profit association of authors and publishers of musical works — an association of natural persons and legal entities pursuant to Act No. 83/1990 Coll. on Associations of Citizens. SOZA is a self-governing organisation through which rights holders manage their common professional interests related to copyright in musical works, through elected bodies. Pursuant to the authorisation granted by the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, SOZA administers economic rights in music from around the world in the territory of Slovakia, and carries out collective rights management in accordance with the Copyright Act.

Extract from the Register of Civic Associations

Authorisation of the Ministry of Culture of the SR

SOZA protects the rights of authors and publishers

SOZA protects economic copyrights of local authors and publishers of musical works

Pursuant to Representation Agreements SOZA administers economic rights of local authors and publishers.

SOZA protects economic copyrights of authors and publishers of musical works from abroad

Pursuant to 110 international agreements with 70 partner societies abroad in total of 123 countries SOZA provides the enforcement of copyrights of foreign authors equally as the copyrights of local authors, as well as copyright enforcement of local music authors in all countries of the world where legal protection of copyrights is applied.

Our Work in Numbers

3 620

Domestic authors whom we represent in Slovakia

5+mil.

Authors We Represent from Around the World

110

International Copyright Treaties

1 600 +

Funded Projects

SOZA licences the use of musical works and collects royalties

SOZA grants licences to users of musical works, authorising the use of music in the following contexts:

live events and performances
reproduction via technical devices
reproduction via jukeboxes
radio and television broadcasting
cable retransmission
production of working copies for DJs

production and reproduction of audio, audiovisual, and multimedia recordings
theatrical performances (pre-recorded music)
public film screenings
distribution via electronic communication networks (internet, mobile networks)

SOZA also collects royalties and the private copying levy for the first placing on the Slovak market of blank recording media enabling the storage or preservation of copies of works, and of technical devices enabling the making of temporary or permanent copies of works or the storage or preservation of copies of works — whether manufactured domestically, acquired from another EU Member State, or imported from a third country.

SOZA has been protecting copyright in Slovakia for over 100 years.

The origins of SOZA date back to 1922, when a Slovak branch of the Czech Association for the Protection of Musical Works of Composers and Publishers was founded. In 1939, the Slovak Association of Music Composers, Lyricists and Publishers (SAS) was established as a separate entity in the form of a limited liability cooperative. Its 34 founding members included Mikuláš Schneider-Trnavský, Eugen Suchoň, Alexander Moyzes, and Gejza Dusík. Following a period during which SOZA operated under the authority of the Ministry of Culture, it was transformed in 1992 into an independent association. Since then, SOZA has progressively developed its organisational structure and technological base, enabling modern and effective collective management of copyright.

SOZA is part of international community of societies protecting copyrights

SOZA is also an internationally acknowledged subject. It is a full member in three international organisations: CISAC, BIEM and GESAC.

CISAC
International Confederation of Authors and Composers Societies associates 232 societies from 111 countries of the world, it represents more than 54 million authors working in all fields of art (music, drama, literature, audio-visual art, graphic and visual art).

BIEM
International organisation associating collective rights management societies protecting so-called mechanical rights, i.e. rights of mechanical recording and reproduction of musical works.

GESAC
European association of authors and composers societies from the EU countries, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. It represents over 1 million authors active in music, graphic art, literature, theatre and drama, and audio-visual art as well.

Confédération Internationale des Sociétés d'Auteurs et Compositeurs

Bureau International des Sociétés Gérant les Droits d´Enregistrement et de Reproduction Mécanique

Groupement Européen des Sociétés d´Auteurs et Compositeurs