Now everyone can go to the movies!
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Now everyone can go to the movies!
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Home Link > M.P.A.A Home Link > M.P.A.A (Pirates) |
Jeremy Kay in Los Angeles 09 November 2004 04:00 Dan Glickman, the new chief of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), warned yesterday (8) that the US film industry faced calamity unless the studios tackled online piracy immediately. "Illegal piracy of movies over the internet poses the greatest existing threat to the motion picture industry," Glickman said in his first public address since succeeding Jack Valenti. "If left unchecked, especially with new technologies emerging all the time, it will become a problem for virtually every movie produced." In a 20-minute speech to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, Glickman outlined a three-pronged strategy in the MPAA's ongoing anti-piracy crusade, which reportedly costs Hollywood $3bn in lost profits each year. The plan involves copyright law enforcement, public education about piracy issues particularly among young students, and partnership with technology companies to develop low-cost and legal ways of allowing online access to pictures and digital rights management. "The industry is aggressively pushing against physical piracy, but now we're also going after the internet as it relates to the illegal trade of movies." Last week Glickman announced the MPAA would begin civil and criminal action against individuals who trade in illegal digital files of movies, mirroring notorious steps taken by the recording industry. To illustrate what he called the "viral" spread of piracy, Glickman said that an illegal copy of Spider-Man 2 was posted online within four hours of the picture's theatrical debut earlier this year. Within 48 hours subtitled DVDs had appeared in three languages on three continents. Glickman stressed the MPAA would use its lobbying might in Congress to fight piracy, while the global message was equally emphatic as he pledged to protect American content through the pursuit of international trade agreements, urging countries with lax copyright protection like Russia and China to tighten up on enforcement. "We must work with countries to help them produce indigenous film industries," he said. "People are less likely to resort to piracy in these cases. Most of the countries where we have problems have undeveloped industries." Earlier in his address Glickman paid generous tribute to his predecessor. "Jack [Valenti] did an extraordinary job for this industry and for film in general and I hope to do my best as an effective spokesman for the industry in this country."
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