FIAM ACTION PLAN 2003-2005
FIAM MANDATE
FIAM acts as an advocate of choice with respect to
international business and policy issues affecting the
multimedia industry at large. It does so by promoting
and strengthening international cooperation and business
relationships among its member associations, whose members
are mostly small and medium-sized enterprises (SME),
effectively ensuring the solidity of its associative
network. Areas of concern and activity include digital
content creation and cultural diversity, content localization
and multilingualism, education and skills development
in multimedia employment, e-learning applications and
best practices, bridging the digital divide, technology
and know-how transfer, e-commerce regulatory processes
and intellectual property.
FIAM priorities
The Associations Network
FIAM will continue to develop a solid international
network of associations and organizations and keep it
informed of association initiatives and activities:
- Expand FIAM membership and identifying key private
and public sector players in the Industry and establish
working relationships with them
- Complete the process to be recognized as a member
of UN-ECOSOC organization
- Continue to organize regular events (conferences,
etc.) involving member associations and addressing
common industry issues
- Use FIAM newsletter and website and virtual forum
as tools to relay industry information
- Increase reporting on international organizations
relevant to the industry and of member associations
activities as well as keep members informed on technical,
business, political and cultural issues related to
the development of the multimedia industry at large
Advocacy and Representation Worldwide
We also believe it is of utmost importance that the
multimedia industry voice be heard in the various decision-making
centres where multimedia industry issues (standards,
intellectual property, e-commerce, etc.) are discussed
and legislated. This role includes mediating among associations
on issues of mutual interest as well as being an industry
advocate next to national and international governmental
and multilateral organizations.
FIAM Action Plan for the
forthcoming year
In cooperation with dozen multimedia and interactive
digital content associations, FIAM has established the
following set of actions.
The Multimedia World
Watch (M2W): an organization at the Service of FIAM
To help FIAM achieve its objectives projects, FIAM has
set up the Multimedia World Watch (M2W), the mandate
of which is to build common references in the multimedia
sector by collecting and disseminating information in
order to better understand the development of the multimedia
industry. Thanks to a classification of multimedia-related
sectors M2W has developed over the past two years, it
is now to possible for multimedia knowledge residing
in a network of universities, research centres and other
specialized institutions to be disseminated through
the World Watch. M2W encourages international cooperation
among multimedia enterprises and organizations, the
exchange of ideas between observers and participants
and the creation of multidisciplinary projects. In our
quest to achieve the objectives set in this Action Plan,
it is our belief that M2W will be of great help thanks
to its expertise, network and collaborative space. For
more information on the M2W, please contact David Santelli,
Executive Director.
A) FIAM Structural Projects
1) Initiate Multimedia Employment Study with
Several Private and Public Sector Organizations
Multimedia associations are arguing that reliable and
comparable information and data on the evolution of
the Internet and multimedia employment market worldwide
are hard to find or simply non-existent. Little has
been done to identify and analyze a wide array of indicators
that allow a clearer understanding of the international
employment issues idiosyncratic to the diverse multimedia
industries and of the role of the industry as a purveyor
of economic growth, in particular with youth. This study
will tackle:
- employment indicators that help understand the evolution
of the industry
- human resource and skill development and training
- supply and demand for specific software and multimedia
skills
- the digital divide in human resource development
- the brain drain and its effects on emerging multimedia
markets
- labour relations in the multimedia industry
- women and multimedia employment
- the quality of work in the multimedia industry
Deadline: Fall 2004.
2) Multimedia Outlooks and the Latin American
Multimedia Outlook (LAMO)
In marked contrast with the ICT industry, it is more
difficult to apprehend the evolution of the multimedia
industry in terms of digital content production and
distribution as well as access and usage of tools and
applications by various business sectors and individuals.
While various countries have sponsored punctual and
geographically-specific studies, most of them paint
a disjointed and incomplete picture, especially with
regards to the establishment of criteria and references
acceptable by most industry representatives.
FIAM has decided to produce regionally-specific studies
or Multimedia Outlooks with the help of its member associations.
The first of these studies is LAMO, the Latin American
Multimedia Outlook, to be put together with various
Latin and Central American multimedia associations.
This first regional study will permit a better understanding
of the evolution of digital content and multimedia tools
and applications in that part of the world.
Objectives of LAMO include:
- Provide up-to-date and pertinent information and
tools in order to better understand the Latin American
MIDC industry as well as relevant competitive and
strategic information.
- Analyze a large array of indicators fundamental
to understanding the evolution of the MIDC industry
in the medium and long term.
- Key industry factors will be addressed to identify
trends and issues and to assess the sector's strengths
and weaknesses.
- Indicators include: Internet access and connectivity,
access to hardware and software tools and applications,
incentives for the provision of digital content, training
and education in the MIDC sector, employment indicators
and job creation potential in the MIDC industry, market
for digital content products and services, salient
multimedia sectors, high-speed Internet and potential
MIDC applications, wireless usage and applications,
etc.
LAMO is a powerful tool to determine what actions and
policies are being taken or implemented in order to
improve the local, regional and national MIDC industries
in the continent. The project findings will be presented
to a wide array of national and international public
and private sector organizations. FIAM wishes this pilot
study to be the catalyst of other regional-based projects.
Deadline for LAMO: April/May 2004.
3) FIAM contribution to WSIS and the Digital
Divide
FIAM is following the work done at the World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS) and is contributing
to the discussions by putting forward lessons learned
by member associations worldwide in the field of digital
content production and development and in tackling the
digital divide.
FIAM has issued a White Paper spelling out current
and future initiatives its member associations worldwide
are or will be involved in, particularly with regards
to the role of multimedia SMEs in economic growth, technology
transfer, awareness of new technologies and local content
development, multimedia tools for poverty reduction
and enterprise skilled employment opportunities.
We will:
- continue to follow the different PrepCom throughout
2003 and make sure a FIAM representative can be present
at the different events
- submit for PrepCom3 (September 2003) several projects
that fall within the mandate of WSIS (preliminary
work has already been initiated and six projects are
being discussed)
- Establish a strong rapport with WSIS executives
and network
Deadline: December 2003 and beyond as WSIS reconvenes
in Tunisia in 2005.
B) FIAM White Papers and
other Projects
In addition to these three specific projects, FIAM
will be monitoring and presenting position papers on
the following industry issues:
1) Intellectual Property and Digital Content
FIAM is working with member associations in order to
evaluate current intellectual property jurisprudence
and its impact on the relationship between owners of
content and those wanting access to it. Underpinning
this initiative is the Federation’s belief that
a level playing field in the area of intellectual property
is a major impetus for the numerous small and medium-sized
enterprises who constitute the bulk of the membership
base of multimedia associations worldwide.
Our work is directed at users and producers of multimedia
content in developed and developing countries in an
effort to ascertain whether there is commonality of
thought or strong divergence on how intellectual property
issues are approached. FIAM is interested in understanding
how such legislation respects and compensates creators
and developers of software while taking into consideration
consumer rights such as fair use, reproduction rights
and private copy A White Paper outlining the position
of FIAM will be presented.
Deadline: Fall 2003
2) Digital Content Localization and the Promotion
of Cultural Diversity
FIAM stands by the premise that digital content has
to be localized, culturally relevant and available for
use and enjoyment across various Internet and multimedia
platforms. Specific issues related to the promotion,
production and distribution of localized content demand
that the industry be ready to tackle various challenges:
- The availability of talent or human resources capable
of delivering interactive digital content that is
original, relevant and localized
- Investing in labour training and education and
ensuring the existence of efficient distribution channels
for localized Internet and multimedia products
- The sustainability of content, both in terms of
ensuring ongoing development and maintaining existing
content over time
- The perennial characteristic of interactive digital
content and its capacity to sustain the vagaries of
technological change
- People’s capacity to have access to such
content (connectivity)
- The issue of foreign vs. domestic content, and
how to ensure diversity
- The role of governments as important backers (national
programs and policies)
- Multimedia companies’ financial ability to
produce and innovate as well as setting up financial
and structural support mechanisms for multimedia start-ups
- Developing appropriate legislative and regulatory
frameworks regarding intellectual property and copyright
FIAM will produce a ground-breaking study analyzing
the public and private sector policies and programs
in specific regions of the world that favour the creation
and distribution of such content.
Deadline: Winter 2004
3) Technology and Know-How Transfer Mechanisms
Technology and know-how transfer mechanisms strengthen
the economic and business ties between multimedia companies
and universities and research centres thereby contributing
to the development of a local or national multimedia
industry. FIAM would like to focus its attention on
appropriate educational, technology and knowledge transfer
strategies that address the above-mentioned issues and
emphasize the role of partnerships between major social
and economic players, in particular in countries where
the multimedia industry is taking off.
FIAM is setting up a working group the mandate of which
will be to analyze the various technology transfer models
in existence today in the multimedia sector worldwide,
in particular in developing countries. The study will
address the following issues:
- What are the multimedia associations doing so far
that falls within the realm of technology and know-how
transfer at the national and international levels?
- How can the multimedia industry benefit from strong
national private/public sector cooperation in the
field of technology and knowledge transfer?
- What are the appropriate educational, technology
and knowledge transfer strategies to address this
issue both effectively and efficiently.
- What are the various legal, economic and regulatory
implications of efficient technology and know-how
transfers for public and private sector organizations?
Deadline: Spring 2004
Conclusion
The projects and issues put forward in this action
plan allow FIAM to cast as wide a net as possible, whether
to ensure their structural and financial feasibility
or to guarantee the close collaboration of the individuals
and organizations most concerned and able to do so.
They fall into the mandate and objectives of FIAM as
representative and advocate of the multimedia industry
and allow the Federation and its member associations
to provide the industry and interested organizations
the tools to better understand the evolution of this
fast-changing sector.
Most importantly, these projects strengthen FIAM in
its efforts to wean itself from dependency on governmental
monies, in particular from the Quebec and Canadian governments.
They are an opportunity for member associations to play
an ever increasing role in defining the raison d’être
of FIAM, reinforcing by the same token its legitimacy
and pertinence worldwide as well as diversifying and
strengthening the Federation’s future source of
revenues.
To download the longer version of this Action plan
, please click here.
For more information, please contact Nasser BOUMENNA,
director of Content and Strategic Development at 514
289 9966 (nboumenna@fiam.org)
Note:
the full version of this action plan is also available
in french.
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