Changes in Argentores functions
Department of Intellectual Property Report | Changes in Argentores´ functions
On March 20, 2025, the Executive Branch of Argentina published Decrees 207/2025 (available only in Spanish here) and 208/2025 (available only in Spanish here) in the Official Gazette, introducing changes to the functions of Argentores.
Decree 207/2025
This Decree amends Article 2 of Law 20.115, which regulates the General Society of Authors of Argentina (“Argentores”, for its abbreviation in Spanish). The previous version of this article established that the National Institute of Associativism and Social Economy (“INAES”, for its acronym in Spanish) would be responsible for the permanent oversight of Argentores. However, the new article assigns this oversight function to the Ministry of Justice.
Decree 208/2025
The Decree stipulates in its first article that both national and foreign creators of works protected by the law may freely agree with third parties on the exploitation of their works. However, it establishes that Argentores will be responsible for managing the author’s economic rights.
The regulation also imposes on Argentores, in Articles 3 and 4, the obligation to distribute the copyright revenues transparently, setting a 30% cap for administrative expenses. This ensures that the majority of the income generated from the exploitation of the works directly benefits the authors. Furthermore, it is established that the collected funds must reach the beneficiaries within a maximum period of two months, reflecting the proportional use of the works.
In addition to this, Article 4 also determines that Argentores must publish the rules governing the distribution systems of the collected revenues on its website, while Article 5 establishes a mechanism for the redistribution of unclaimed amounts, stipulating that if a holder does not claim their payment within four months, the funds will be redistributed among the other represented authors.
Moreover, Article 6 introduces a monitoring system under the supervision of an auditor appointed by the Ministry of Justice, aimed at ensuring the correct implementation of the established procedures and the proper distribution of copyright rights.
Finally, the repeal of Decree 461/1973, which regulated the Reciprocal Protection System of Argentores, is determined.
In February, regulations regarding copyright in Argentina were amended. Decree 138/2025 (available only in Spanish here) had established that those wishing to collect copyright royalties could register through a collective management society or exercise their rights individually, although this did not apply to Argentores, which remains unchanged.
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