MPAA Head Touts Importance of Intellectual Property

WASHINGTON, D.C., April
25: On a panel commemorating World Intellectual Property Day, Dan Glickman, the
chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA),
emphasized the global significance of intellectual property, noting that it is
“no longer an American issue or a pet issue of movie stars and rock stars.”

Set to take place
tomorrow, World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated both in Washington,
D.C. and around the world with various events to raise awareness of the
importance of intellectual property. Glickman, alongside Mitch Bainwol, the
Recording Industry Association’s chairman and CEO, and Steve Largent, the
president and CEO of Wireless Association, took part in a panel called “Digital
Technologies: Emerging Challenges, Evolving Strategies,” that was held at the
Institute for Policy Innovation’s World Intellectual Property Day event on
Capitol Hill.

During the hour-long
discussion, Glickman spoke about the evolving relationship between broadband
providers and content producers in which both are working together to ensure
that the Internet is providing the legitimate content that consumers want,
while still protecting the innovators of intellectual property.

“As more diverse countries
do increasingly sophisticated work around the world, I believe we
will—and are today— seeing a rising tide of respect and support for
intellectual property rights,” said Glickman. “This is no longer an American
issue or a pet issue of movie stars and rock stars. Increasingly it is
something quite meaningful to a growing array of stakeholders including small
businesses, young innovators, and developing governments and economies.”

Continued Glickman: “There
is a growing global stake in digital citizenship with so many countries sharing
our objective of wanting to grow and nurture their own innovation economies.
World IP Day helps to focus the spotlight on that effort and highlight just why
intellectual property protections are so important to all those who create
something of value with their minds and share it with the world. It truly helps
remind us of the importance and connectedness we all share in our global
economy.”

—By Irene Lew