The MPA in America announces plans to work with US lawmakers as it embarks on a fresh crackdown on movie piracy.
Among the announcements coming out of CinemaCon in Las Vegas is news of a fresh crackdown on movie piracy.
It’s been announced by the Motion Picture Association, an American entertainment industry trade association group that has lots of major movie studios among its members. The Motion Picture Association, hereafter known as the MPA, has been working to get fresh legislation through the American legal system, and it’s announced some progress on that front.
The CEO of the group, Charles Rivkin, has announced to CinemaCon attendees that the MPA is now planning to work alongside Congress in the US to pass new rules. These would allow the blocking of websites that share pirated material.
Rivkin argues that over $1bn of ticket sales are currently being lost to piracy, and he said that “site-blocking is a targeted, legal tactic to disrupt the connection between digital pirates and their intended audience.”
We’ve been down this road before of course, and since the rise of the world wide web, there’s been a degree of whack-a-mole going on. Slow-moving legislation is in a race with fast-moving internet services, and by the number that Rivkin has pointed out, you can see which way it’s been going.
Whether lawmakers are going to heavily engage with what the MPA wants in an election year is another question. But still, the MPA – reading between the lines – seems to be resigned to the assorted download sites existing around the world. It seems to figure that its best strategy is simply to try and block access to them.
The Verge has a little bit more on the story.
We’ll keep you posted as we hear more on this, as well as any similar actions that are being planned in the UK.
