DAMA, the CMO specialized in audiovisual authors’ rights turns 20 years. DAMA was created on April 5, 1999, when the Ministry of Culture granted the administrative authorization.

 

The founders of DAMA were looking for an alternative model for the management of Intellectual Property Rights with more transparency, agility and democracy. Currently, thanks to the work of many professionals for years, DAMA is a solid, solvent and an expanding CMO, keeping the same spirit of 20 years ago.

 

Al the moment, DAMA is presided by the director and screenwriter Borja Cobeaga (San Sebastián, 1977) and has more than 1.200 members including translators, screenwriters and directors who are authors of the most successful audiovisual content.

 

In addition, foreign CMOs from 37 countries around the world rely on DAMA to manage their rights in Spain. As a result, DAMA manages the authors’ rights of more than 2/3 parts of the audiovisual content exhibited in Spain, such us content from the USA, UK, Japan, Argentina, France… In 2018, the collection of remuneration rights of DAMA was more than 15 million of euros.

 

During these 20 years, the distribution process of the audiovisual content has undergone a huge transformation and DAMA has been able to adapt thanks to its specialization and the use of the best IT tools to identify works and to collect remuneration rights. Currently, DAMA has concluded agreements with the main users of the audiovisual repertoire: cinemas, TVs and VOD platforms, and it is a recognized entity in the political and cultural forums of the audiovisual field.

 

But beyond the technological and social transformation, DAMA is convinced that the most important thing is to keep the spirit and the same vision than in 1999: to work honestly, nimbly and transparently for the reception by audiovisual authors of what corresponds to them.