Henry Olsson has passed away
Our dear partner and the other founder of OK Consulting, Henry Olsson, passed away in July 2021. Henry dedicated most of his career to intellectual property rights, leaving a great legacy in the field of IP law. Henry was known worldwide for his vast experience, deep knowledge and understanding of intellectual property rights as well as his diplomatic skills, ability to manouver in international settings and most of all his friendly personality.
We thank Henry for his invaluable contribution to OK Consulting, and know that many will thank him for advancements in the IPR systems around the world. Henry will be greatly missed by his family and friends but also by colleagues around the world. His legacy will live on in his publications and teachings as well as many fond memories.
Booklet on Good governance published
One of Olsson & Koskinen Consulting's focal points is supporting sustainable collective management of copyright and related rights in well-governed organizations. Collective management is a trust-based business. A prerequisite for successful collective managament is good governance. Solid governance structures and processes, accountable decision-making and transparency are the key components of good governance. In the pursuit of capacity building in this field , Ms. Mari Wallgren has written a booklet on good governance for board members of CMOs.
The booklet first introduces the business of collective management. It then moves on to the components of good governance and what each of them mean in concrete terms for members of CMO boards. There are some case studies to illustrate the real-life scenarios that board members may face as regards good governance. The case illustrations have been gathered by Ms. Tarja Koskinen-Olsson over the years in her capacity as international adviser to numerous organizations worldwide.
The booklet can serve a toolkit and reference material for board work on good governance. It can also be used as a guide for new members of the board. The specific issues regarding good governance in CMOs are addressed in the booklet but much of the information on governance, accountability and transparency apply to any type of organization, so the booklet can be of use to others as well.
For table of contents and more details see information leaflet.
Evaluation highlights: Good governance in focus
The NORCODE Regional Training Programs were evaluated by the participants, resource persons and representatives from the involved organizations. One of the topics that was seen as most important by all was governance. Good governance plays a key role in the success of organizations, especially so in trust-based operations like collective management of copyright and related rights. Collective management of copyright and related is an integral part of the copyright system in many parts of the world. That is why supporting sustainable and well-functioning CMOs is of such great importance. If governance fails, all else fails.
It is vital to ascertain that collective management organizations have well-functioning governance structures, regulated decision-making processes and well-defined roles of main leaders. Being accountable for decisions made in the CMO and operating in a transparent way providing information to all stakeholders are also of importance. Good governance brings trust and legitimacy to CMOS and collective management of copyright in general.
Both Tarja Koskinen-Olsson and Mari Wallgren highlight the importance of good governance and share a long-lasting interest in promoting governance issues. Good governance is a prerequisite for success in any CMO, and the lack thereof the number one reason for failure. Olsson & Koskinen Consulting is committed to capacity building also in the area of good governance, and we are working on new ways of supporting good governance in CMOs. More information will follow soon.