The SCAM (Société Civile des Auteurs Multimédia) is a key French organization in the collective management of authors' rights in France, Belgium and Canada. With approximately 52,000 authors under its banner, the SCAM strives to protect the patrimonial rights of multimedia content creators, including directors, screenwriters, journalists, writers, photographers, illustrators, and translators.
The SCAM at the service of authors
Founded in 1981, the SCAM operates like a cooperative where authors entrust their patrimonial rights to the organization, allowing it to collect royalties from national and international companies using their works. "The unique aspect of the SCAM is that the works it represents are non-fiction works: reports, documentaries, magazines…" explains Raphaël Lépaulard, deputy director of audiovisual rights at the SCAM.
Legisway for The SCAM’s contract management
For many years, the SCAM has used Legisway to manage its contracts. This solution plays an essential role in tracking contract projects, managing renewals, and archiving. "We create project status records for contracts under negotiation to simplify their tracking." Once signed electronically, ongoing contracts are stored in the database for centralized contract information, allowing users to quickly and easily access the necessary data. "I work closely with the legal affairs department to monitor our contracts […]. We have structured the contracts by category and project to access the information more easily."
The use of alerts in Legisway is also beneficial to the SCAM for ensuring rigorous monitoring of its contracts and their deadlines. This system allows the team to effectively manage renewals and ensure that no important dates are missed.
Additionally, Legisway is interfaced with the SCAM's auxiliary accounting system, ensuring that clients are only added to the system once a contract is signed. This integration ensures data consistency and simplifies administrative tracking. "Our accounting database mirrors the Legisway database; they synchronize to add a client to the accounting system only if a signed contract exists in Legisway."
An essential digital transformation
The SCAM has leveraged digitalization to improve its internal processes and is ready to test new advanced features to meet the growing demands of their contractual environment. "Technology should be facilitative," says Raphaël.
In 2017, during the upgrade to a new version of Legisway, the organization engaged a consulting firm for a comprehensive audit of its contract management practices. This firm conducted a series of in-depth interviews and provided specific recommendations for configuring the legal management solution.
With this support, the SCAM, in collaboration with the Legisway teams, restructured its data hierarchy, classified contracts by categories and projects, and optimized the use of the legal solution for improved operational efficiency and a smoother, more organized contract management process. Legisway's ability to adapt to the specific needs of the SCAM is a major asset. "We customized the modules to meet our particular requirements, which has improved our operational efficiency," explains Raphaël.
Conclusion
Integrating advanced technologies into contract management is essential for organizations like the SCAM, which operate in a constantly evolving national and international context. "Technology brings me efficiency and responsiveness in my work," emphasizes Raphaël Lépaulard. Tools like Legisway not only centralize information and provide quick access to necessary data but also securely track the history of contracts. This centralization and securing of data provide peace of mind and a solid foundation for effective management.
