Sharjah24: The Emirates Reprographic Rights Management Association (ERRA) is announcing its participation in the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair via an independent pavilion. This is the association’s inaugural presence at such an event, through which it seeks to encourage specialists involved in producing and publishing knowledge and creative content to broaden their understanding of their rights and how to protect them.

During the exhibition, which will take place from 22 to 28 May at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the association will welcome to its pavilion (Hall 9 – Stand E24) writers and publishers keen on expanding their knowledge of their copyrights and intellectual property rights. Visitors can also learn more about the association’s operations, its mission to protect reprographic rights, and how to legally reuse works.

Majd Al-Shehhi, Director of ERRA, stressed the need to regulate the prevalent use of reprography for distributing printed and digital literary content to protect rights holders from having their works copied without consent or compensation. She said: “Our mission at the association is to diligently manage the reprographic rights of the literary works entrusted to our care. We pursue a comprehensive approach that includes issuing licenses  to re-use digital and printed content and ensure that rights holders are fairly compensated whenever their works are used or copied.”

She added: “The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is bringing together the most distinguished publishing houses from the UAE and the world. We are eager to participate in this event, as it serves as a powerful platform for promoting intellectual property rights, helps spread knowledge among publishers and authors, and highlights the importance of joining the association to enable them to benefit from their entitlements when users with copyright licenses  copy their works.”

Promote community awareness of the importance of copyright
To strengthen its role in heightening institutional and societal awareness of copyright’s importance in protecting writers’ and publishers’ rights, the association will participate in a session titled ‘New Horizons for the Publishing Industry: Self-Publishing (Views and Experiences)’ on 26 May. As part of ERRA's participation in the book fair, this session exemplifies the association's unwavering dedication to nurturing positive impact within the creative industries.

Participating in this session is Dr. Alyazia Khalifa, member of ERRA, founder of AlFulk Translation and Publishing. She will be joined by specialists from the publishing sector, including Chen Bingfeng, project manager at the China National Book Import and Export Company; Ricardo Almeida, CEO and founder of the platform ‘Clube de Autores’; Fahd Al Falasi, representing Al Falasi Publishing House; and Prashant Pathak, rights manager at Wonder Book Libraries.

The session promises to explore the latest trends in the publishing industry, with a particular focus on the surging phenomenon of self-publishing, which initially  took root in Europe and has now permeated the Arab region, especially the Gulf, driven by technological innovations and the widespread accessibility of e-books. The esteemed panelists  will shed light on this emerging trend, particularly emphasising the potential of self-publishing in the UAE.

Interested individuals from writers and publishers can join the association at its pavilion. Furthermore, the users, university employees, libraries, and educational institutions that utilise the process of reproduction in their services are invited to visit ERRA’s pavilion to understand the association’s role in safeguarding reprography rights and learn how to become licensed to use a large number of works legally.

The Emirates Reprographic Rights Management Association is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the International Federation of Copyright Organizations (IFRO). In close collaboration with relevant government agencies, ERRA actively oversees the utilization of works by beneficiaries and plays a pivotal role in issuing reprography licenses to universities, schools, public libraries, as well as both public and private sectors.