About Us

AZAS is the only Macedonian organization for the collective management of copyright and related film rights in the audio-visual sector in Macedonia, which includes authors, performers, and film producers. The mission of the Association for the Protection of Copyright and Related Rights is to protect the majority of Macedonian authors, producers, and performers, and to ensure a fair, efficient, and transparent application and distribution of their collective rights. In doing so, AZAS will constantly expand its membership base and raise the awareness of the holders of rights in audiovisual works. Our vision is to establish a fair, efficient, and transparent rights management system, which will serve as a model at home and abroad. To establish a creative space in Macedonia to encourage authors, producers, and performers of audiovisual works. AZAS will actively work and will be involved in drafting the necessary legal regulations in the field of copyright and related rights, and will provide legal assistance and consultation to the members of the association when concluding contracts for the creation and use of films and other audiovisual works, will promotes the role and importance of copyright and related rights in film and audiovisual works, will establish links to share information with related organizations in other countries. Based on bilateral agreements, mandates, and other authorizations by associations of authors, performers, and film producers of audiovisual works, AZAS performs the following tasks: -permits to use works from the repertoire of protected audiovisual works under similar conditions for similar types of use; – informs the users about tariffs and concludes agreements with them about the terms of use of the protected audiovisual works; – publishes tariffs for the payment of benefits; -concludes agreements with foreign collective organizations; – supervises the use of works from the repertoire; – collects compensation payments; – collects the funds for the rights holders following the previously established collection rules; -concludes copyright and related rights management agreements with co-authors of audiovisual works, performers whose performances were used in audiovisual works, and film producers; – defends copyright and related rights of audiovisual works in courts and other state agencies, while having to report the abuse of those rights to the right holders. AZAS enables the representation of the copyright and related rights of its members in the country and abroad, and based on the further concluded agreements with related international organizations, it can represent appropriate foreign authors in Macedonia as well. One of the basic tasks of AZAS is the conclusion of agreements with similar international and domestic organizations. In doing so, the account will be taken of: – Coordination with organizations of the same or similar type from the country and abroad; – Coordination with sister organizations; – Conclusion of bilateral agreements; – The implementation of bilateral agreements; – Participation in international meetings; – Coordination and exchange of information with international organizations. In this way, AZAS will ensure, both domestically and internationally, that the work proceeds smoothly and at the highest professional level.