Presumptive Standing of Collective Management Organizations in Argentina in Accordance with the Regime Established by Decree No. 138/2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26422/RIPI.2026.2400.schKeywords:
copyright law, collective management organizations, collective rights management, presumptive standingAbstract
The recent overhaul of Argentina’s regulatory framework for Collective Management Organizations (CMOs) introduces two structural shifts. First, rightsholders may now opt to manage their rights individually, negotiating licensing terms directly with users. Second, multiple entities may coexist for the administration of works and related rights within the same category. A direct consequence of this redesign is the potential fragmentation of the repertoire traditionally administered by CMOs, generating uncertainty for users regarding which entity is legally entitled to collect remuneration and, correspondingly, which payments are required. Under the prior regime, such uncertainty was foreclosed: universal representation of national and foreign works and related rights of the same category was vested in a single State‑authorized entity, designated either by statute or by decree.
This challenge is not unique to Argentina. Across jurisdictions, the doctrinal basis for CMOs’ standing to enforce rights — particularly their active legitimacy to claim remuneration — remains contested. No uniform solution has emerged, and countries have adopted divergent regulatory models.
This article examines a mechanism recognized in legislation and case law in several jurisdictions: presumptive standing. It addresses two central questions. First, whether CMOs, under the framework established by Decree No. 138/2025, may be deemed to represent the full universe of works and related rights within their category. Second, what legal foundation supports the presumptive standing of CMOs to act on behalf of the universal repertoire of works or performances under their administration in the current Argentine system.
The analysis proceeds in three steps. Part I outlines the general contours of presumptive standing as a doctrinal mechanism in copyright and related rights. Part II evaluates its potential application — and the uncertainties it raises — within Argentina’s present regulatory landscape. Part III surveys how presumptive standing has been articulated and applied in selected foreign jurisdictions.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Gustavo Schötz
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