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Motion Picture Association of America, The (MPAA)


Self Description

September 2006: "The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and its international counterpart, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) serve as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries, domestically through the MPAA and internationally through the MPA. Today, these associations represent not only the world of theatrical film, but serve as leader and advocate for major producers and distributors of entertainment programming for television, cable, home video and future delivery systems not yet imagined.

Founded in 1922 as the trade association of the American film industry, the MPAA has broadened its mandate over the years to reflect the diversity of an ever changing and expanding industry. The initial task assigned to the association was to stem criticism of American movies, which were then silent, and to restore a more favorable public image for the motion picture business. Today the association continues to advocate for strong protection of the creative works produced and distributed by the industry, fights copyright theft around the world, and provides leadership in meeting new and emerging industry challenges."

http://mpaa.org/AboutUs.asp

October 2001: "[MPAA] (MPAA) and its international counterpart, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) serve as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries..." http://www.mpaa.org/about/

Third-Party Descriptions

August 2012: 'This is a new development for anti-piracy efforts. Organizations like the MPAA, RIAA, IFPA, and FACT have long lobbied law enforcement officials to prosecute "rogue sites" and have provided them with information and logistical support to do so. But public prosecutors generally have the final say on who will be indicted. In the Vickerman case, the public prosecutors concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to merit prosecution. FACT disagreed and invoked what one lawyer told us is an "archaic right" for a private organization to bring criminal prosecutions against other private parties.'

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/08/private-justice-how-hollywood-money-put-a-brit-behind-bars/

January 2012: "Former Sen. Chris Dodd, now chief media mogul at the MPAA, didn't even bother to drape a veil over the threat he issued to his erstwhile colleagues [12] after they started bailing on SOPA and PIPA. He told Fox News:"

http://www.infoworld.com/t/cringely/megaupload-the-content-cartel-strikes-back-184785

July 2011: "The media companies were also represented by the Motion Picture Association of America and groups acting on behalf of independent record companies and filmmakers. The Internet carriers involved in the deal include AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Verizon and Time Warner Cable."

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/08/technology/to-slow-piracy-internet-providers-ready-penalties.html

May 2010: 'The FCC has given Hollywood permission to activate the "Selective Output Control" technologies in your set-top box. These are hidden flags that allow the MPAA to deactivate parts of your home theater depending on what you're watching. And it sucks. As Dan Gillmor notes, "Fans of old TV science fiction will remember the Outer Limits. Given Hollywood's victory today at the FCC -- they'll be able to reach over the lines and disable functions on your TV -- the intro to the show takes on modern relevance."'

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/05/07/fcc-hands-hollywood.html

May 2009: 'Visitors to the Facebook page will also be encouraged to sign a petition demanding that “gratuitous images of smoking” earn a film an automatic R rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. An R rating requires that viewers under 17 be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian. In 2007 the association started considering smoking alongside sex and violence in assessing the suitability of movies for young viewers, but rulings are subjective rather than automatic.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/movies/28smoke.html

October 2008: 'Perhaps sensing trouble, RealNetworks proactively sued the movie industry to try and protect its newest product. Within hours, Hollywood's leading movie studios announced a counter suit. A statement from Greg Goeckner, EVP for the Motion Picture Association, contained this memorable quote: "RealNetworks' RealDVD should be called StealDVD."'

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2331465,00.asp

September 2008: "RealNetworks and the Motion Picture Association of America are suing one another over whether movie fans can copy their DVDs."

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/mpaa-realnetwor.html

May 2008: "The Los Angeles judge, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper, also issued a permanent injunction against TorrentSpy, which was once one of the most popular indexes of BitTorrent files before it shut down in March after a two-year copyright battle with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The company closed its site on March 24, citing financial hardship and a desire to protect the privacy of its users."

http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9938469-7.html

March 2008: 'This issue, of course, flutters close to the heart of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and MPAA, parties which have filed early and often in the FCC's proceeding on the matter. The MPAA's February 28 statement asserts that "ISPs must be able to use network management techniques to address the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted content taking place over their networks, for the benefit of legitimate consumers and subscribers." The powerful movie studio lobby filed the comment over a week before taking a public stand against net neutrality at the Showest convention in Las Vegas. There, MPAA boss Dan Glickman declared that government regulation of the Internet "would impair the ability of broadband providers to address the serious and rampant piracy problems occurring over their networks today."'

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080320-fcc-commish-net-neutrality-shouldnt-extend-to-illegal-acts.html

June 2007: By the end of May, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) will report to its member studios the results of tests of a dozen computerized video-fingerprinting systems. This technology is designed to identify pirated movies wherever they exist on the Internet, automating a job that is now done by staffers who look for infringing clips with their own eyes.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_24/b4038073.htm

April 2007: But the Recording Industry Assn. of America and the Motion Picture Assn. of America say they sometimes need to use subterfuge as they pursue bootleggers in flea markets and on the Internet.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-pretext7apr07,1,1936238.story

September 2006: As the title suggests, it's a documentary about movie ratings and the often frustrating process whereby the MPAA warns the parents of America off films that may have too much sex, profanity or violence for the little ones. That power gives the MPAA extraordinary sway over how films will be distributed and advertised, how much money they can make and, ultimately, their impact on the culture. It is, argues filmmaker Kirby Dick, a de facto power of censorship.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/14/AR2006091401898.html

November 2005: "Bram Cohen, the 30-year-old founder and chief executive of BitTorrent, held a news conference with Dan Glickman, chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America and chief lobbyist for the movie industry, to announce the agreement, which is aimed at choking off illegal movie traffic exchanged on peer-to-peer networks."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/23/technology/23film.html

November 2005: Users will also be able to share video content. However, iMesh has inked an agreement with the Motion Picture Association of America not to distribute any video exceeding 15 minutes in length, thus guaranteeing it will not inadvertently distribute feature-length movies over the internet.

http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,69457,00.html

Relationships

RoleNameTypeLast Updated
Opponent (past or present) Brilliant Digital Entertainment Organization Oct 28, 2008
Member of (past or present) Center for Copyright Information (CCI) Organization Mar 3, 2013
Possible/Unclear Classification and Ratings Administration (CARA) Organization May 13, 2007
Cooperation (past or present) DVD Copy Control Association (DVDCCA) Organization Oct 1, 2008
Member of (past or present) Media Coalition Organization Apr 20, 2010
Opponent (past or present) Scour Organization Oct 18, 2006
Opponent (past or present) TorrentSpy Organization Sep 27, 2006
Organization Head/Leader (past or present) Senator Christopher J. Dodd Esq. Person Jan 24, 2012
Organization Head/Leader (past or present) Dan Glickman Person Jul 3, 2004
Possible/Unclear Joan Graves Person May 13, 2007
Organization Executive (past or present) Jon Leibowitz Esq. Person May 25, 2006
Organization Head/Leader (past or present) Jack Valenti Person Sep 17, 2006

Articles and Resources

62 Articles and Resources. Go to:  [Next 20]   [End]

Date Fairness.com Resource Read it at:
Aug 16, 2012 Private justice: How Hollywood money put a Brit behind bars: Industry-funded prosecution leads to 4-year sentence for SurfTheChannel owner.

QUOTE: Organizations like the MPAA, RIAA, IFPA, and FACT have long lobbied law enforcement officials to prosecute "rogue sites" and have provided them with information and logistical support to do so. But public prosecutors generally have the final say on who will be indicted. In the Vickerman case, the public prosecutors concluded that there wasn't enough evidence to merit prosecution. FACT disagreed and invoked what one lawyer told us is an "archaic right" for a private organization to bring criminal prosecutions against other private parties.

 Ars Technica
Jan 23, 2012 MegaUpload: The content cartel strikes back

QUOTE: Like SOPA and PIPA, the bust comes with its own collateral damage. Along with those pirated movies and music, the feds took down noninfringing data from thousands of legit MegaUpload users, who are howling in protest and demanding -- futilely, so far -- the return of their stuff.

 InfoWorld
Jul 07, 2011 To Slow Piracy, Internet Providers Ready Penalties

QUOTE: After years of negotiations with Hollywood and the music industry, the nation’s top Internet providers have agreed to a systematic approach to identifying customers suspected of digital copyright infringement and then alerting them via e-mail or other means....concerns that consumers might be punished “based on allegations that have not been tested in court.”

 New York Times
Dec 19, 2010 Music Web Sites Dispute Legality of Their Closing

QUOTE: federal authorities shut down five Web sites last month on suspicion of copyright infringement, they gave no warning and offered no details of their investigation... the operators of several of the sites said in interviews that they were innocent of infringement, and criticized the investigation for misrepresenting how their sites worked.

 New York Times
Jun 02, 2010 The RIAA? Amateurs. Here's how you sue 14,000+ P2P users

QUOTE: why have P2P lawsuits against individuals spiked dramatically in 2010? It's all thanks to the US Copyright Group, a set of lawyers who have turned P2P prosecution into revenue generation in order to "SAVE CINEMA."

 Ars Technica
May 07, 2010 FCC hands Hollywood the keys to your PC, home theater and future

QUOTE: The FCC has given Hollywood permission to activate the "Selective Output Control" technologies in your set-top box. These are hidden flags that allow the MPAA to deactivate parts of your home theater depending on what you're watching. And it sucks.

 Boing Boing
Sep 18, 2009 DRM's tentacles snare British HDTV

QUOTE: DRM watchers are sounding the alarm about a proposal to bring what they fear amounts to a "broadcast flag" to the UK's over-the-air digital Freeview television service.

 Ars Technica
Sep 02, 2009 Movie studios again demand HDTV disabling powers from FCC

QUOTE: "The vast majority of consumers would not have to purchase new devices to receive the new, high-value content contemplated by MPAA's" request, the group [MPAA] assures the FCC.

 Ars Technica
Aug 11, 2009 Can I make copies of my DVDs? One reader wants to know how to replace his damaged DVD movies and music CDs (Gripe Line)

QUOTE: let's start with the loaded part of the question: "We all know that it's illegal to make copies of CDs and DVDs." I don't think we do know that. In fact, I [Christina Wood] think there is a lot of confusion about this.

 InfoWorld
May 27, 2009 Cigarettes in Popular Films Are Target of Health Groups

QUOTE: the American Medical Association unveiled a summer-long campaign on Wednesday intended to publicly shame movie studios for depicting images of smoking in their mass-appeal movies...Components include a Facebook scorecard tallying the number of tobacco images depicted in movies rated G, PG and PG-13 from May to August. The studio found to be the biggest offender will be named on billboards in September.

 New York Times
Mar 27, 2009 Threat Level Privacy, Crime and Security Online MPAA Negotiates With ISPs to Disconnect or Penalize Copyright Offenders

QUOTE: Hollywood studios are negotiating with broadband providers to take action against customers caught downloading movies repeatedly.

 Wired
Oct 01, 2008 Rob Glaser's RealDVD: Friend or Foe of Fair Use?

QUOTE: The war between RealNetworks and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) could be more important than you think.

 PC Magazine
Sep 30, 2008 MPAA, RealNetworks Wage Court Battle Over DVD-Copying Software

QUOTE: RealNetworks and the Motion Picture Association of America are suing one another over whether movie fans can copy their DVDs.

 Wired
Jun 16, 2008 Physicians’ Group Furious at Cigars in ‘Hulk’ Movie

QUOTE: Last week, the advocacy arm of the powerful physicians’ group unleashed a tsk-tsk campaign against “The Incredible Hulk,” a Marvel film that opened on Friday and is distributed by Universal Pictures. The complaint was of “gratuitous depictions of smoking.” In the movie, which drew a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, Gen. Thunderbolt Ross, a bad guy played by William Hurt, is rarely seen without a smoke-spewing cigar. (Presumably, the physicians’ association worries that children who identify with the authoritarian general — who wants to annihilate the Hulk, played by Edward Norton — may be tempted to pick up the habit.)

 New York Times
Jun 05, 2008 The Inexact Science Behind DMCA Takedown Notices (Bits)

QUOTE: The paper finds that there is a serious flaw in how these trade groups finger alleged file-sharers. It also suggests that some people might be getting improperly accused of sharing copyrighted content, and could even be purposely framed by other users.

 New York Times
May 07, 2008 Studios win $100 million judgment against TorrentSpy

QUOTE: In a major win for Hollywood studios, a California federal judge has ordered TorrentSpy to pay nearly $111 million in damages for infringing the copyright of thousands of films and TV shows through its BitTorrent search engine. The Los Angeles judge, U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper, also issued a permanent injunction against TorrentSpy, which was once one of the most popular indexes of BitTorrent files before it shut down in March after a two-year copyright battle with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).

 News.com
Mar 20, 2008 FCC commish: Net neutrality shouldn't extend to illegal acts

QUOTE: Earlier this week, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein told a symposium on Internet Video Policy that the various net neutrality proposals the agency is considering include "exemptions for illegal activities." Content Agenda's Paul Sweeting reports that Adelstein said that the Commission will be "very careful about the use of the Internet for illegal purposes, and that includes the illegal downloading of copyrighted works..." But, Sweeting adds, that doesn't mean Adelstein approves of content filtering. "The problem is, how can you ever tell what's illegal?" Adelstein asked the gathering.

 Ars Technica
Feb 01, 2008 Sweden Accuses 4 of Copyright Offenses

QUOTE: ...authorities say that [the Pirate Bay Web site] helps others violate copyright laws by linking providers of pirated songs and films with people searching for the material. The site has become the focus of the entertainment industry’s fight against the unauthorized digital copying of films, games and music.

 New York Times
Nov 07, 2007 AT&T's Piracy/Privacy Dilemma

QUOTE: It wants to incorporate antipiracy technology to protect video content and attract advertisers, but runs the risk of enraging privacy advocates and others.

 BusinessWeek
Sep 01, 2007 Young Fliers See the Film, Be It PG or R

QUOTE: Critics say their anger comes as airlines, eager to cater to current tastes and acceding to more permissive standards for the entertainment media, have relaxed their rules for what they show.

 New York Times

62 Articles and Resources. Go to:  [Next 20]   [End]