Entertainment Technology Industry Alliance (ETIA)

The international coalition of Entertainment Technology Trade Associations

§ 1 Definition and name
The Entertainment Technology Industry Alliance (ETIA) is a coalition of associations active in the field of Entertainment Technology.

It represents the sector as a whole, specifically: manufacturers, distributors, dealers, system integrators and service providers.

The Alliance operates as an informal, unregistered group, functioning across borders at the international and European levels.

§ 2 Purpose, objectives and functioning of the Alliance
The purpose of the alliance, as an interest group, is to promote, represent, and protect the shared professional, economic, regulatory, and normative interests of the involved associations – particularly in relation to institutions of the European Union, national and international standards organizations, and other relevant authorities and institutions.

The Alliance consolidates expertise and resources for the mutual benefit of the participating associations. This facilitates, for example, their ability to provide mutual support in gathering pertinent information regarding legal and other requirements for organizing events within their respective countries.

A central objective is to provide sector-specific knowledge to inform legislative and regulatory processes, and to act as a unified voice for the industry. Through coordinated action, the Alliance ensures that the industry’s interests are effectively represented in policy discussions, expert groups, and engagements with relevant authorities and institutions.

Affiliated associations exchange and work together on topics of shared interest, such as Ecodesign, LCAs, PCRs, and other topics of relevance.

The Alliance will disclose information about its structure and associations involved in the European Transparency Register.

The Alliance does not engage in commercial activities or agreements. Involved associations do not exchange detailed information about the commercial activities of their individual organizations nor of their member companies.

§ 3 Involvement of associations
Involvement in Alliance activities is exclusively open to legal entities organized as national, European, or international trade associations representing the entertainment technology industry. These associations represent manufacturers, dealers, service providers and system integrators in the field of entertainment technology.

Applications to join the Alliance must be submitted in writing to the technical secretariat of the group. Admission takes effect immediately upon written approval and requires unanimous consent of associations currently involved. There is no legal entitlement to be accepted as part of the Alliance.

The involvement at the Alliance may be terminated at any time by a written notice of resignation. Financial contributions already made by a member will not be refunded retroactively.

In cases of gross misconduct, such as for instance misrepresenting the positions agreed upon by the Alliance, jeopardizing its reputation, or creating legal risks, the Alliance may expel an association based on a unanimous decision of the other remaining associations. Any decision to expel an association must be made in writing and shall include a detailed statement of reasons for the expulsion and the specific actions or behavior that constituted gross misconduct.

Each association may be represented by up to two spokespersons, who may be changed at any time. Regardless of the number of representatives, each association holds one vote.

§ 4 Joint activities of involved associations
Members of national or international trade associations play a pivotal role in driving research, development, and innovation within the entertainment industry. They actively contribute to the sustainable economic transformation of this sector and significantly shape the future viability of the international event economy through their technologies, services, and standards.

Operating independently within their respective regions and representing the specific interests of their members, associations involved in the Alliance are not bound by directives, guidelines, or resolutions of the Alliance.

However, the individual associations coordinate within the Alliance and participate in its internal working groups and projects to ensure a consistent and unified representation of the group. The Alliance must speak with one voice on jointly agreed initiatives and topics. At the same time, each organization acts autonomously internally and represents its membership in the usual way.

With the aim of coming to an agreement on planned activities, representatives of associations set a predefined deadline for response which is decided by simple majority of the participants. Only in case of urgent matters, the representatives of the associations involved are required to reply within 24 hours.

External guests from organisations not being involved in the Alliance might be invited to meetings, with such invitations requiring unanimous consent.

The Alliance engages in dialogue with other associations, political actors, and industry groups. Dates for public discussions involving the Alliance must be agreed upon within the group.

§ 5 Financial matters
The Alliance does not have its own budget or bank account. Each participant is responsible for covering the costs associated with their participation in the Alliance, including any special activities such as travel expenses.

Involved associations contribute to costs related to activities such as website management or organizing specific events. Contributions to organise the activities of the Alliance are subject to unanimous agreement among the participants.

§ 6 Meetings
Involved associations of the Alliance shall meet regularly, to discuss activities aligned with the objectives outlined in § 2. Any representative might request additional meetings as needed. Meeting proceedings must be documented in written.

Decisions and resolutions are adopted by a simple majority vote.

Amendments of the rules of procedure require a two-third majority.

All discussions held during meetings are to remain confidential. Exceptions only apply to reports made to the respective association boards/councils.

§ 7 Dissolution of ETIA or end of collaboration, IP-rights
The dissolution of the Alliance may be decided by a two-thirds majority vote of the involved associations.

In case of dissolution or the end of collaboration with one partner (e.g., through an expulsion), all intellectual/industrial property rights in any materials created during the course of the collaboration within the Alliance (including but not limited to images, photographs, graphics, texts, presentations, documents, logos, concepts and branding elements), shall remain the sole property of the organisation that created such material.

The right holder(s) who are part of the Alliance may grant the involved partner associations a nonexclusive, non-transferable right to use specific materials created during the collaboration for a limited period, purpose, and scope limited to the collaboration. This right of use does not transfer ownership or any underlying exclusive intellectual property rights, which shall remain fully with the original creating organisation.

Upon termination of collaboration, any further use of such materials requires the prior written consent of the right holder(s).

The provisions under this section shall remain in effect beyond the termination of the collaboration within the Alliance and beyond these rules of procedure or any related agreements.