The Cuban regime denied that it has prohibited the Paquete Semanal, a rumor that circulated in recent days following the publication of Decree 107 from the Council of Ministers, which prohibits the screening of films, series, documentaries, novels, etc., through digital media.
Ernesto Vila González, director of the National Copyright Center and of Performing Artists, explained to Cubadebate that the new legal provision does not prevent that activity (the dissemination of the Package) from being carried out.
"The regulations refer to film exhibition in a public space, and what the update implies is that it is not allowed to do so using digital means through computer supports," he said.
Vila González clarified that copying a hard drive or memory to another, intended for personal or family cultural consumption, is not considered an exhibition, but rather a reproduction.
Among the activities for self-employment, he mentioned the one initially related to the sale of discs, which for technological reasons has been migrating to other formats such as USB.
"Those who have the authorization license can continue doing so, as long as they meet the requirements established by the regulation itself," he stated.
Among the requirements is being contracted with the Agency of Dramatic, Musical, and Audiovisual Creators (ACDAM).
"The TCP makes a monthly payment for the compensation of the creators included in those materials that are exchanged. This agency has a territorial network that reaches across the country, responsible for establishing the relationship with these economic actors," she added.
The requirement to be linked to ACDAM does not apply to the exchange of audiovisual materials through flash drives and other electronic devices, for non-profit purposes, between individuals, she clarified.
"The new regulations do not prohibit the circulation of audiovisual material or the exercise of this activity on one's own account, as long as those who engage in it have the authorization and comply with what is established in the Law on Copyright and Related Rights," he concluded.
Despite what the official suggests, this last aspect is not fulfilled, as the Package distributes movies and series from platforms and channels illegally.
After the regime published the list of 125 prohibited economic activities for non-state economic forms, a heated debate was sparked over the prohibition or not of the Weekly Package.
El Periódico 26, from Las Tunas, asked specialists from the Municipal Directorate of Labor, who explained that the specific regulation states that licenses for disk vendors that have already been approved are exempt from the prohibition.
"So far, the self-employed individuals who provide copying services for various audiovisual materials do so under the license to operate as a record seller," they said.
However, they clarified that "no new licenses will be issued for record vendors."
Periódico 26 deleted the post from its social media, but Raudel Rodríguez, a journalist from the provincial station Radio Victoria, reproduced the text in its entirety on his Facebook wall.
"The package remains in place. What will not be authorized are new licenses for record sellers (in this case, those who make recordings of audiovisual materials)," Rodríguez emphasized.
The comedian Ulises Toirac was one of many who criticized the ban on the Paquete.
"Make good television and that's it. The 'packagers' are starving. And what do they sell? Not what they want, they sell what they are asked for. Is it of poor cultural quality? Ask yourselves what this is in response to," he said.
Last year, Díaz-Canel said that the content of the Weekly Package was a "concern," for which he advocated introducing national production stories into it.
"It's not just the issue of 'the phones, there could be more concerns, everything that comes to us through the package, through a movie, are we going to stop watching movies, are we going to stop using the phone?'" he asked at a meeting with Cuban parliamentarians.
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