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The Hollywood lobby group has finally weighed in on the plan by Wikipedia and others to go dark tomorrow to protest the MPAA-supported anti-piracy bills in Congress. The money quote is at the end: CEO Chris Dodd says he hopes that “the White House and the Congress will call on those who intend to stage this ‘blackout’ to stop the hyperbole and PR stunts and engage in meaningful efforts to combat piracy.” The House’s Stop Online Piracy Act and the Senate’s Protect IP Act would empower the government to block overseas sites that traffic in pirated content. The MPAA says that will save U.S. jobs. But tech companies say officials might abuse their power by using it to punish legitimate sites.
Here’s the full MPAA statement:
WASHINGTON —The following is a statement by Senator Chris Dodd, Chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) on the so-called “Blackout Day” protesting anti-piracy legislation:
“Only days after the White House and chief sponsors of the legislation responded to the major concern expressed by opponents and then called for all parties to work cooperatively together, some technology business interests are resorting to stunts that punish their users or turn them into their corporate pawns, rather than coming to the table to find solutions to a problem that all now seem to agree is very real and damaging.
It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these companies enjoy in the marketplace today. It’s a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite their users in order to further their corporate interests.
A so-called “blackout” is yet another gimmick, albeit a dangerous one, designed to punish elected and administration officials who are working diligently to protect American jobs from foreign criminals. It is our hope that the White House and the Congress will call on those who intend to stage this “blackout” to stop the hyperbole and PR stunts and engage in meaningful efforts to combat piracy.”
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The MPAA is merely trying to pawn off their responsibilities on third party sites. If you want to protect your IP, you need to do a better job at not making it so easy for pirates to rip off your screeners and post them online.
The services that these sites have provided, sharing useful information, data, content are just that–a SERVICE. What the users do with that service these sites cannot control, nor should it be their responsibility to monitor. MPAA, you can go fuck yourself, along with the GoDaddys of the world who have no leg to stand on in this argument.
By the MPAA’s argument, auto manufacturers and car rental agencies should also be responsible for anyone who performs an armed robbery using their vehicles as a getaway car. What kind of twisted logic is that?! If the MPAA wants to protect it’s IP, they need to invest more and figure out a better way to do it. Don’t point the fingers at others. You need to look into the mirror. The public is smarter than you think.
I am from Germany and to be honest, I was sceptical when I read the Statement on the english site of Wikipedia. But also the German site mobilizes against such idiocy.
Wikipedia and other sites shut down because they have a damn good reason to do it. Those MPAA-idiots only care about their money.
If they want trouble, they can get trouble
Freedom of the internet will not be sacrificed to satisfy some media giants thirst for control.
The Wikipedia blackout will inconvenience me, and I totally oppose it. It’s stupid.
@glorai I find it HARD to believe the wiki blackout will inconvenience you. How exactly may I ask? Can you not look up your needed information/data on other sites? Can you not prepare and look that info up today? or Thursday?
You should be worried that when given absolute power, it is more likely to be abused. In anything. Especially the internet.
This is another step, along with NDAA to increase the governments (corporations, big dogs) control over everyone else through bs laws, bills, etc.
Hey “Truth Serum” and “The Comments on this Board are Ridiculous” and those who wrote similar comments…Hollywood’s epic inability to manage the underground (for lack of a better way of putting it) is their own fault. It is not for us and certainly not for the ill informed government to be their private police force.
This whole piracy issue is just Hollywood’s version of THE BIG LIE. I have not seen any evidence that anyone has ever lost a job or that a film has ever bombed because of being leaked to the internet. WOLVERINE was online forever and that movie was still a hit. TAKEN was online and on video for almost a year before it hit the US and was a blockbuster.
This has always been about CONTROL. They don’t care about lost production jobs. They don’t care about the rights of creative people to get paid. They want their old business model to stay in place no matter what. They want you to want what they want you to want and they want to tell you when you see or hear it and what you pay for it for the rest of eternity. And that’s it.
For anyone who works in this industry to cry for the studios which would prefer that nobody below the executive level makes a dime for their work EVER is a FOOL. They make more every year but cry broke whenever anyone hits them up for a raise or tries to even collect what they’re owed.
The studios are like a child putting his fingers in his ears and saying “Nyah nyah, I’m not listening to you!” in regards to the reality of the world marketplace in its current form. Their only answer has always been “CEASE and DESIST!!!!” and would rather shut down the internet than deal with the problem intelligently. It’s a fucking joke and sadly it is a battle that will have to be constantly fought because the studios don’t like that there are smarter thieves than them out there. Their inept attempts to stop them could cost us all dearly. Here’s hoping Washington took note of the backlash this week and will stay the fuck away from this issue. Let Hollywood and the tech guys figure out something workable that everyone can live with if need be…and really…there isn’t much of a need be. If there is, show me REAL numbers and real proof. Though I suspect that the numbers will be as real as their profit statements when audited. And we all know how truthful those are.
Even better, look at some of he biggest television shows leaked early in the last decade. The rebooted Battlestar Galactica debuted on Sky UK a full 9 MONTHS before its debut on the Sci-Fi Channel. Ron Moore even made a public statement for people not to pirate the series, as it could hurt their chances of getting a second season. Those pirated episodes resulted in great word-of-mouth – and the highest ratings Sci-Fi had for any show on its network when it debuted. Same thing with Lost and the 2005 season of Doctor Who – both their pilots leaked weeks beforehand and got viewers excited for the shows – they’re now some of the most downloaded works out there, and they are both ratings juggernauts.
If Holly Wood was really suffering you would not see films coming out, tv shows, you would see major head liners on it. All I see is the same thing award shows new movies more tv shows. Holly Wood lies to it’s audience like they do when they tell you their show or movie is ” epic” or “compelling” when it is shit. Holly Wood uses the internet today more then ever to pimp out their stuff and they want control. They also don’t like the fact that there are people that put out short better youtube videos then they do. They want to own all art because they are not about art anymore they are about money and they want yours and your stupidity that comes with it so they can continue to put out stupid products and tell you every one likes them . In a way this whole thing is our fault because of the power we give Holly Wood the worshiping of stupid plastic people and how we kiss their ass all of the time. America needs to wake up and grow up and have Holly Wood worship US because we are the ones that let them get this big. Time to take away their power with our wallets then Chris Dodd can really have something to bitch about..
Take your comment and stick it, Mr. Dodd. You want us normal people to pay the piper for music and information on the web. Let it free and leave it be.
Chris Dodd says I am now a “corporate pawn”. He, remember when Chris Dodd was a corporate pawn for Countrywide, and thus had to retire from the Senate in shame?
Weird:
It is an irresponsible response and a disservice to people who rely on them for information use their services. It is also an abuse of power given the freedoms these
companiesGovernments enjoy in the world marketplace today. It’s a dangerous and troubling development when the platforms that serve as gateways to information intentionally skew the facts to incite theirusersCitizens in order to further theircorporateGovernment interests.So, the MPAA, which wants to give no-one free access to their members creative works, wines when Wikipedia temporarily makes free access to their creative works a little bit harder? This is rich…
The MPAA never stood a chance. Last week, barely anyone knew what SOPA was, let alone what consequences it could have for free speech. Today, five people pulled their support of the bill, 7000+ sites relayed a simple message, and the MPAA issued an ineffectual press release with no bite whatsoever.
It’s over – the tech industry crushed Hollywood.
Think that an industry that will abuse it’s power has started to see that all good things come to an end. People are not as stupid as Holly Wood usually portrays them in film or shows and are not all crazy rabid fans who want more more more . Chris Dodd is not helping this cause at all. It is funny to watch this man talk funnier then most of the crap his industry sells to us. Hey who wants to make a movie about this one? Make a movie about this make Chris Dodd a hunk with no shirt and write in words that he never said. Kinda like what Holly Wood does with its ” based on a true story ” crap.
Besides, regardless of what new rules and regulations are put into place, people will continue to find ways around them. The collective world of super-geek internet and computer users is far more intelligent than the MPAA or Senate.
SOPA won’t stop piracy- it’ll just make the game more fun for the people who get around the cyber-roadblocks put up for them.
Chris Dodd and his ilk have just had me boycott the entertainment industry more then I already was. Stopped going to the movies I do buy the one songs from Itunes because I stopped buying cds that are crap. I don’t buy films anymore and I have not come across a main stream film that I want to spend a dollar on to waste my time. I do enjoy your more independent films and your more alternative bands who like the fact that people love their music and are only happy to have their work on line shown. Some of those bands allow us to have free down loads too. Now I am looking into WHO supports this law and if they do I will not even view, or buy their product . Holly Wood has millions, they refer to us common folk as “civilians” they live in their own world with their own rules. The last thing this country needs is Holly Woods input in law making and we as the public need to stop wasting our time with this constitution of pretenders and over paid asses and teach our kids to not focus on the latest trend and have them go out side and do something more productive. I think Chris Dodd is in for a surprise this year. Let him talk he only puts his foot and his pretend story telling biz in their self consuming hole.