MPAA CEO Christopher Dodd Addresses Piracy in the Entertainment Industry
Former United States Senator Chris Dodd, who was named earlier this year as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), headlined the annual Entertainment Industry Luncheon of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, November 16, at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa in Hollywood.
Dodd discussed the issue of Intellectual Property and the Piracy in the Entertainment Industry and the importance of collaboration to help boost the U.S. economy. Dodd stressed that intellectual property supported more than 2.2 million jobs worldwide, including 136,000 in Los Angeles County alone.
“There are those in the tech industry who hold the mistaken belief that there is nothing wrong with providing links to stolen content, I wonder if they would feel the same,” said Dodd, “if their patents were stolen and used by others for profit? Would they give the same answer if their sites were being used to distribute child pornography or computer viruses or phish for personal financial information?”
According to an MPAA survey, some 29 million Americans, around 13 percent of the adult population, have themselves downloaded or watched illegal copies of movies or TV shows online. “Nearly one-quarter of all Internet traffic,” said Dodd, “is copyright infringing.”
His focus was to take his message personally to Silicon Valley. “The time has come to take a tough stand against the rogue sites and the parasites who profit from the outright theft of our content,” he said. “We are ready – eager, even – to partner with technology companies to build new distribution models. But both sides of this debate must understand that we can only succeed if we succeed together. Silicon Valley needs Hollywood every bit as much as Hollywood needs Silicon Valley.”
Dodd stressed that tech companies and their products need content that people want to see because “the reason people wanted IPods and IPhones and IPads was that they made it possible to consume content anytime and anywhere. It is our customers’ appetite for our content that drives the market for smartphones, tablets and a wide variety of other high-tech products,” he added. “It is up to us, the content community, to continue to evolve our business model to harness these innovations. And it is up to the tech sector to work with us to ensure that emerging technology is not used to destroy one of the great job producing industries.”
Paramount Contractors & Developers (PCD) was one of the many businesses that sponsored this event including The Hollywood Museum, The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount Pictures, and the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa, The Walt Disney Company, FilmL.A., Inc., Screen Actors Guild, and Sunset Gower/Sunset Bronson Studios and more. Brian Folb of PCD wanted to hear what Mr. Dodd had to say as the new head of the MPAA. “Many of our tenants are in the Entertainment Industry, and we were very pleased to hear that he will be focusing his attention on piracy of Intellectual Property. We’re all for fair game, and it is important to understand that piracy is actually robbing the entertainment businesses that are providing a high percentage of the people living and working in Hollywood with jobs!”
Sean Hart produces movies and TV at Silo Media. An ex-musician himself, Hart said that trying to sell records during the 1998 Napster / MP3 era was the first time he realized that online media would impact the whole entertainment industry forever. “In 1998 I picked up an LA Weekly with the cover that said in big letters “DEATH OF MUSIC… MP3″! Now I still feel the effects of piracy in an even bigger way!” Hart said.
Kate Folb of Nightingale Entertainment was encouraged to hear Mr. Dodd’s speech. “The only way we will resolve these issues is through honest communication and open collaboration between Silicon Valley and Hollywood,” said Folb, adding that working together is in everyone’s best interest.
During the luncheon, the Chamber presented the Annual Hollywood Star Award to Oscar and Nyla Arslanian, owners of Arslanian & Associates, Inc. and publishers of Discover Hollywood Magazine, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The award is given to people who have made a significant contribution to Hollywood.
