Like most ISO standards, ISAN is fundamentally voluntary. However, its adoption has become de facto mandatory in sevral sectors because major industry stakeholders, funding bodies, and national regulators require it to ensure efficiency, precision, and interoperability. Due to its robust governance and open standard status, an increasing number of organizations now mandate ISAN:
Royalty Collection (CMOs)
Many Collecting Management Organizations (CMOs) across Europe - including those in France, Spain, Belgium, and Switzerland - require an ISAN to process and distribute royalties. In some jurisdictions, it is a strict prerequisite for payment.
Film Funding & Grants
Major film funding agencies in France, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Canada, South Korea, and Australia require an ISAN for any project they finance. Notably, the French National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC) has made ISAN registration mandatory for all supported projects and works since January 1, 2017.
European Commission & MEDIA Programme
The European Commission has identified ISAN as a key standard for a fair and efficient digital single market. The Commission has worked toward full interoperability between ISAN and the US led EIDR system, making the use of ISAN as an interoperable standard identifier a requirement for projects seeking support through the EU MEDIA programme.
Legal Deposit & Distribution Requirements
- France: ISAN is a statutory requirement for the legal deposit (dépôt légal) of cinematographic works, whether distributed in theaters or via Video On Demand (VOD). By maintaining ISAN records within their internal systems, platforms can instantly fulfill these legal obligations to the Delia Legal Deposit Platform without needing to reconstruct metadata manually.
- Switzerland:Since January 2017, Swiss law (Art. 24, sec. 3bis of the Swiss Film Act) mandates the use of ISAN for reporting the exploitation of audiovisual content on home video (DVD, Blu-ray, EST) and Video on Demand (VoD, SVoD). This applies to all distributors operating in Switzerland. Major platforms enforce this; for instance, the Apple iTunes Swiss store has required ISAN since August 1, 2017.
In summary
While ISAN remains a voluntary standard globally, it is effectively compulsory for accessing funding, collecting royalties, fulfilling legal deposit obligations, and distributing content on major platforms in key markets.