RIAA, MPAA urge pro-copyright vows from presidential candidates

A coalition of entertainment and publishing industry heavyweights would like to see the 2008 presidential candidates champion "meaningful copyright protection" in their policy platforms.

The requests came Tuesday in the form of a letter (PDF) and a questionnaire (PDF), dispatched by the Washington-based Copyright Alliance to 17 candidates vying for Democratic or Republican nominations next year. The group has requested responses to its questionnaire by early January of next year and plans to make the answers public.

The alliance's 44 members include the Recording Industry Association of America, Motion Picture Association of America, Association of American Publishers, Entertainment Software Association, Business Software Alliance, as well as companies like CBS, NBC, News Corp., Microsoft, Viacom, and Walt Disney. The same group, which formed earlier this year, staged a Capitol Hill expo last month aimed at educating staffers and politicos on its stance.

Each of the five questions rests on the premise that copyright protection is vital to the U.S. economy, and they're clearly worded with an eye toward eliciting a certain response. (As one reporter on a conference call about the announcement remarked, the approach seems a bit like asking the candidates whether they like Mom and apple pie.)

One question, for instance, asks: "How would you promote the progress of science and creativity, as enumerated in the U.S. Constitution, by upholding and strengthening copyright law and preventing its diminishment?"

Others ask how candidates would "protect the incentive to create by committing sufficient resources to support effective civil and criminal enforcement of copyright laws domestically and internationally" and "ensure inclusion of copyright protections in bilateral, regional and multilateral trade agreements to protect creators and foster global development."

"The future of our creative output in the United States is at stake in the 2008 presidential election," wrote Patrick Ross, the group's executive director. "It is critical not only for members of the creative community but also for the U.S. economy to ensure that copyrights are respected and piracy is reduced. We are asking you to let us know what you would do to help preserve one of America's greatest strengths, its creative community."

In a conference call with reporters Tuesday afternoon, Ross said the group also intends to hold briefings with presidential campaigns about its copyright priorities, but it's not "in the endorsement game," although individual alliance members may choose to take that step.

The heads of the RIAA and MPAA both heralded the importance of the contenders' intellectual property views in posts at the Copyright Alliance's Web site on Tuesday.

"While national security and health care have dominated this season's campaign dialog, a key issue for the 2008 presidential candidates includes their commitment to recognizing the critical importance of intellectual property rights," wrote MPAA chief Dan Glickman.

RIAA chief Mitch Bainwol put it this way: "When Americans vote, they are making decisions about the values important to them. And one of those values must be a commitment to creativity. For some, that commitment will be a function of the economic significance of intellectual property. For others, that commitment will be about the power of the ideas our content spreads throughout the world. But the commitment to intellectual property rights, whatever the motivation, is what we must look for."

[James7777777]

I'll vote for who ever stands up to the *IAA

The *IAA has been pushing people around for too long. Their scare tactics and mafia like actions are getting out of hand and I pledge my vote to the candidate who admits they must be stopped.

[protagonistic]

RE: RIAA, MPAA urge pro-copyright vows from presidential candidates

"meaningful copyright protection"<br /><br />Translation: You have to pay us every time you listen to or view <br />one of the files we have control over. Preferably, in perpetuity. <br />We deserve to live off the sweat of others and should not have <br />to go out and actually get a meaningful job.

[Dalkorian]

I'll vote

I'll vote for the candidate that uses this questionnaire for what it's <br />really good for - as toilet paper!<br /><br />Satan has devised a special corner in hell for the RIAA/MPAA and <br />they deserve it. What they don't deserve is another dime from any <br />of us!

[imacpwr]

Candidates need to address REAL problems..!!

Politicians need to start worrying about important things like <br />education, social security, medical and welfare LONG before they <br />worry about trivial things like the RIAA &#38; MPAA. It's time the <br />American government stops being solely a representative of big business and start paying attention to the REAL people who put <br />them in office, the Tax Payers..!!

[hpew]

RIAA,MPAA, etc...Bah HUMBUG!

These organizations represent the CORPORATIONS (studios, <br />publishers, record COMPANIES - They could give a rats **s about <br />the artists.<br /><br />They'll most likely get most if not all of the Republican cadidates

[FrankTurd]

Hillary Is Inevitable

Hillary is inevitable, so why waste your time RIAA/MPAA on the others? Just talk to Hillary Clinton ... the next US President. She'll agree with you and she'll work with you AND, she'll deliver unlike the other punters (Obama...please...).

[CagedAnimal]

Real Question: Who wants our campaign contributions?

Subject pretty much says it all.<br /><br />Whoever wins will probably want a second term. I'm sure they will not be able to ignore the "campaign contributions" the RIAA and MPAA shows they are willing to those who help their bills become law.<br /><br />I will vote for the candidate to that is most likely to eradicate the disproportionate influence of corporations in our political and legal processes. Government officials having no knowledge of the source of their contributions might be a start. Is there a candidate willing promote that kind of legislation?

[Had_to_be_said]

I completely concur with these groups...

I really hope we DO get some concrete answers to the -IAAs- wishes... So Ill know exactly, who NOT to vote for.<br /><br />HINT: I will vote against anyone who kowtows to these blood-sucking, arrogant, leeches... that have already convinced [BOUGHT-OUT] our politicians, persuading them that the basic-rights, and prosperity, of the common-citizens... are a direct "threat" to what REALLY MATTERS... [http://I.E. ...a STATUS-QUO of obscene corporate-profits and absolute-control, of all consumers, forever|http://I.E. ...a STATUS-QUO of obscene corporate-profits and absolute-control, of all consumers, forever]...<br /><br />...just my two-cents.

[NanoFrog]

RIAA Needs to get a clue

These guys refuse to see that the music world, in particular, has <br />changed forever. This paranoid, litigation approach is nonsense <br />and inserting themselves into the election process is a retarded <br />move by men without souls or brains but way to many lawyers. <br />The more they push like this, the more detrmined will be the <br />resistance. All of this behavior by these greedy people will come <br />back and bite them on the a?s for certain. I think the deserve <br />every hit they take and believe the hits will never stop coming. <br />They seem to be delusional and driven by a premise that is not <br />at all in balance with the actual real world at all. It is interesting <br />to see grown men chase the wrong problem, insist on the wrong <br />answers and who seem determined to bring about what they <br />fear most. Sometimes standing up is brave and beautiful, but <br />sometimes people just need to shut up and sit down.

[Leria]

I agree totally

The music, movie and game world has changed forever. Online downloads are the wave of the future, and people want a method that allows them to back up their games, movies and music, and still play them in the future if the person who sold them the game online goes out of business.<br /><br />Litigation is not going to solve that want and need. What is going to solve it is non-DRM'd or ONE DRM downloads that everyone has agreed on the DRM to be used and sticks with it EVEN IF THE DRM IS CRACKED.

[umbrae]

Wish I could say something that hasn't been said...

Hope the candidates read news.com so they know where the public stands.

[R.Jefferson]

How dare we question the ownership class

I want as many middlemen between me and the artists, that?s just the American way. <br /><br />I want lyrics, liner notes and art that I will look at once.<br /><br />I want DRM on all music media to remind me how under appreciated the ownership class is and how truly difficult it is to be an owner of capital.<br /><br />Public domain and fair use.... pfft more like ownership domain and ownership use. <br /><br />Comon people if we don?t pay ridiculous and arbitrary prices for creativity, who is going to pay for their private jets to run empty so they have a tarmac and landing strip access?

[Lemon5]

Don't we have more important subjects?

Shouldn't the future president's time be more invested in say, i don't know, the BATTLEFRONT!!! I mean come on! We have American lives on the line and all these guys can think about is how they should sue and arrest more Americans. RIAA, MPAA, you guys should be ashamed.

[jharrisofkansas]

Liars

As a composer of music and lyrics I would like to say that for the first time ever artists have the ability to by pass these no talent lying thieves that do nothing but live off the backs of others.....they care nothing for artists it is a lie that they do.They fear that more and more artists will realize they don't need them.Many bands are making more than three times as much per album than they did with record companies and so called fee collection agencies that kept control for years by controlling the distribution side of the business. I have been involved in other business's besides music such as manufacturing and the music industry is the only one I have seen where the creator of something is screwed over like I have seen .In any other industry if you create something you have the ability to protect your rights,control and distribute as needed.....if other companies try to stifle that in any way you can file antitrust charges against them. Composers/Bands in the past that would try this could not get their work in record stores or air play because of such things as the RIAA and MPAA.....they DO NOT CARE ABOUT ARTISTS only in that artists are their free meal ticket

[jmanjohns2]

Like past concessions haven't been sweeping enough

What the h*ll do these people want? Its already been demonstrated how vague and sweeping copyright laws are. With the copyright act of 1976 and the DMCA (not to mention Disney's perpetual copyright renewals) content is more legally protected than ever before. Of course thats not stopping consumers from using content the way they see fit, it has only made it a crime. Copyright and patent laws do indeed need revisions, but they do not need to become stricter, rather they need to become more reasonable.

[mpvgrowth]

Anti-Copyright

Why should all music be free? Why should motion pictures be free? It's clear the techies want to move their hardware and software. Maybe since it's also a commodity after 6 month's, it should also be free. People work extremely hard for years to deveop their content. They should reap the rewards and be protected. I would love to see the people who commented against this invent a product on not patent the IP and watch someone else get rich. Are you too cheap to pay .99 cents for a song someone spend thousands to record and market.

[Jahntassa]

Not the point here

I think you missed the point. Nobody is arguing for 'free music'. They're arguing against the **AA's. I want to buy music where the artist and writers will get the largest cut possible. I also want to then use that music as -I- see fit. Not at the whims of some greedy corporation that wants to use the money for getting more money.<br /><br />If I have a vested interest in the music, i.e., I know the money is getting to the artists, I won't want to pirate it out, or download it without paying for it. There is no reason for CD's to cost as much as they do these days, especially since so little goes to the artists.

[Karl-Lessig]

Cheese

So why does this story about the Copyright Alliance have a headline about RIAA and MPAA (both members of the Copyright Alliance) instead of say the Business Software Association and AFTRA (also both members of the Copyright Alliance)?<br /><br />Say cheese.

[lunarsight]

Who I'm voting for.

I will vote for whatever candidate tells the RIAA to go play in traffic. <br /><br />Actually, that's a euphemism, but if I wrote what I -really- wanted to hear the candidate tell the RIAA, this comment would probably get deleted. =)