The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), originally called the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America, is a non-profit trade association based in the United States which was formed to advance the interests of movie studios. Its members consist of the "big six" major Hollywood studios: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution (The Walt Disney Company), Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures (Viacom—which bought DreamWorks in February 2006), 20th Century Fox (News Corporation), Universal Studios (NBC Universal), and Warner Bros. (Time Warner). The organization produces the well-known voluntary film rating system. MGM was a member of the association until 2005, shortly after Sony Pictures Entertainment's failed attempt to acquire the studio, ending in an acquisition partly-funded by Sony. Image File history File links MPAA_Logo. ... My Parents are Aliens was a British childrens comedy on CITV about an eccentric family, which started in 1999. ... A non-profit organization (often called non-profit org or simply non-profit or not-for-profit) can be seen as an organization that doesnt have a goal to make a profit. ... An industry trade group is generally a public relations organization funded, founded and formed by corporations that operate in a specific industry. ... A movie studio is a controlled environment for the making of a film. ... ... Buena Vista International logo. ... “Disney” redirects here. ... Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is the television and film production unit of Japan-based corporate giant Sony. ... Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production and distribution company, based in Hollywood, California. ... Viacom (NYSE: VIA) (NYSE: VIAb) is an American media conglomerate with various worldwide interests in cable and satellite television networks (MTV Networks and BET), and movie production and distribution (the Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks movie studios). ... This article is about the film studio. ... Twentieth (20th) Century Fox Film Corporation (known from 1935 to 1985 as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation) is one of the six major American film studios. ... 1211 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue), where News Corporation is based News Corporation (abbreviated to News Corp) (NYSE: NWS, NYSE: NWSa, ASX: , LSE: NCRA) is an Australian media conglomerate company and one of the worlds largest. ... This article is about the American media conglomerate. ... NBC Universal is a media and entertainment conglomerate formed in May 2004 by the combination of General Electrics NBC with Vivendi Universal Entertainment, part of Vivendi Universal. ... “WB” redirects here. ... Time Warner Inc. ... The Motion Picture Association of Americas film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a films suitability for certain audiences. ... For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Political activities

Besides assigning its aforementioned film ratings, the MPAA lobbies on behalf of its members on a variety of issues including copyright and free speech. It promotes digital rights management technologies. The MPAA, along with its equivalent in the recording industry, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), has taken strong steps to reduce the number of file-sharing sites online where copyrighted films are available for download. In April and May 2005, signs appeared on the homepages of LokiTorrent and EliteTorrents (two large BitTorrent trackers), stating that they had been closed down because of encouraging the illegal distribution of copyrighted material defined as the distribution of copyrighted works without permission of the copyright holder. This article is about the political effort. ... Not to be confused with copywriting. ... Freedom of speech is the right to freely say what one pleases, as well as the related right to hear what others have stated. ... Digital rights management (DRM) is an umbrella term that refers to access control technologies used by publishers and other copyright holders to limit usage of digital media or devices. ... The RIAA Logo. ... a torrent tracker site that was shut down by mpaa in mid 2005 ... The EliteTorrents website was replaced with this notice from the US authorities. ... This article is about the protocol. ...

Leadership

In 1922, the movie studio bosses hired Will H. Hays to be the first president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America. A former U.S. Postmaster General and election campaign manager for U.S. President Warren G. Harding, Hays was responsible for the creation of the Production Code in 1930. Enforcement of the Code was lax until the major studios agreed—under threat of religious groups to push for stronger state and federal censorship—that all films released on or after July 1, 1934 would adhere to the Code or face a fine. A movie studio is a controlled environment for the making of a film. ... Cover of Time Magazine (September 13, 1926) William Harrison Hays (November 5, 1879–March 7, 1954) was the namesake of the Hays Code, chairman of Republican National Committee and U.S. Postmaster General. ... The Postmaster General is the executive head of the United States Postal Service. ... Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was an American politician and the twenty-ninth President of the United States, from 1921 to 1923, when he became the sixth president to die in office. ... The Production Code (also known as the Hays Code) was a set of industry guidelines governing the production of American motion pictures. ... is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full 1934 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1934, Joseph I. Breen (1888–1965) took over as head of the Production Code Administration (PCA) and served until retiring in 1945 when Eric Johnston took over and the name was changed to the Motion Picture Association of America. In November 1947, Johnston was part of a closed-door meeting with forty-seven motion picture executives at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. As a result, on November 25, 1947, Johnston issued the Waldorf Statement, a two-page press release that marked the beginning of the Hollywood blacklist. Johnston remained in office as head of the MPAA until his death in 1963. Ralph Hetzel acted as interim head until 1966. Joseph Ignatius Breen (October 14, 1890–December 5, 1965) was an American film censor. ... Eric Johnston (December 21, 1896 – August 22, 1963) was a motion picture association executive. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... The hotels name with a single hyphen is engraved and gilded over the entrance. ... is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1947 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Waldorf Statement was a two-page press release issued on November 25, 1947 by Eric Johnston, President of the Motion Picture Association of America, following a closed-door meeting by forty-eight motion picture company executives at New York Citys Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. ... A news release or press release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. ... blacklisting is gay ...

From 1966 to 2004, Jack Valenti served as the president of the group, becoming nearly synonymous with the organization thanks to his long service and high profile. On September 1, 2004, he retired, and was succeeded by Dan Glickman, a former Agriculture Secretary during the Clinton Administration. Jack Joseph Valenti (September 5, 1921 – April 26, 2007) was an influential corpse and a long-time president of the Motion Picture Association of America. ... is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Daniel Robert Dan Glickman (born November 24, 1944) is an American politician. ... The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture concerned with land and food as well as agriculture and rural development. ... President Clintons Cabinet, circa 1993 Headed by President of the United States Bill Clinton, the Clinton Administation was the executive branch of the federal government of the United States from 1993 to 2001. ...

Kori Bernards is the MPAA's vice president of corporate communications and the lead spokesperson in the current battle with the BitTorrent technology invented by Bram Cohen. Kori Bernards is the MPAAs vice president of corporate communications and the lead spokesperson in the current battle with the BitTorrent technology invented by Bram Cohen. ... Bram Cohen (born 1975) is an American computer programmer, best known as the author of the peer-to-peer (P2P) protocol BitTorrent, as well as the first file sharing program to use the protocol. ...

Controversies

Rating system

Main article: Motion Picture Association of America film rating system

Some of the MPAA's actions have been controversial. One example is the film rating system. Many believe that the intent of the various ratings has been subverted. For example, there is widespread access to R-rated movies even for those under 17, while the NC-17 rating spells commercial death for a film^[1][2], undermining its purpose. The Motion Picture Association of Americas film rating system is used in the United States and its territories to rate a films suitability for certain audiences. ... The MPAA film rating system is a system used in the United States and territories and instituted by the Motion Picture Association of America to rate a movie based on its content. ...

Film critic Roger Ebert has called for an entirely new system of ratings designed to address these issues. Some people criticize film-makers for editing their works to conform to the various ratings. For example, they might excise some extreme violence or sex to avoid an NC-17, or even "spice up" a children's movie so as to move from G to PG and appeal to older children. The ratings system itself is attacked as de facto censorship by free-speech activists, and conversely as too lenient in its content standards by some conservative critics, religious leaders, lawyers, and parental review sites. Kids-In-Mind is a parental review site that does not criticize the rating system, however they do mention that the rating system is malleable and inaccurate for several reasons. The site has also shown that an R-rated movie may be similar in content to a PG-13-rated movie at times. A Harvard study suggested that in 2003, more inappropriate content has been allowed in PG and PG-13 rated movies than in 1992. A criticism that has come from both sides is that the MPAA tends to be considered more complacent with violent content than sexual one. Other criticisms have included that there is more bias against homosexual sexual content than heterosexual. Also, movies with male genitalia tend to get a "harsher" rating than those with female genitalia. Roger Joseph Ebert (born June 18, 1942) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American film critic. ...

Copyright issues

Other critics attack the MPAA for its action on copyright issues. They claim that it inhibits legitimate uses of its products through laws such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and that it is too draconian in pursuing copyright infringers. The MPAA replies that it is attempting only to limit the reduction in profits caused by file sharing and other types of copyright infringement although many valid arguments exist to make its moves highly controversial. In 2006, the MPAA's moral authority on this subject was questioned. Filmmaker Kirby Dick's documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated, itself an attack on the ratings system, was submitted for rating consideration. The organization then made unauthorized copies of it for certain employees of the MPAA itself.^[3] Not to be confused with copywriting. ... The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a United States copyright law which implements two 1996 WIPO treaties. ... File sharing is the activity of making files available to other users for download over the Internet, but also over smaller networks. ... Kirby Dick is a documentary film director. ... This Film Is Not Yet Rated is an independent documentary film about the Motion Picture Association of Americas rating system and its effect on American culture, directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Eddie Schmidt. ...

The MPAA was responsible for a police raid on the servers that hosted a Torrent Tracking website called The Pirate Bay on May 31, 2006 by pressuring the Swedish government (where the servers were located) to take action. The Pirate Bay, in response, claimed that they had no basis for the seizure, and were back up and running on backups two days later. The MPAA issued a press release shortly after this raid in which they stated that they lost 6.1 billion dollars nation wide to piracy in 2005, and that internet piracy alone had cost the studios 2.3 billion. ^[4] However, contrary to MPAA statements, several studies and commentators have concluded that one download hardly equals a lost sale.^[5][6][7] This is especially true considering that a good portion ($1.4 billion) of the $6.1 billion figure represents what could be viewed as simply making a non-commercial backup, either virtually on a device or physically on another disc, which is protected under United States law. These numbers are further suspicious due to the private nature of the study, which cannot be publicly checked for methodology or validity.^[8][9][10] The Pirate Bay (often abbreviated TPB) is an Internet site that bills itself as the worlds largest BitTorrent tracker and also serves as an index for . ... is the 151st day of the year (152nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Though the MPAA has won several victories against online piracy such as the Razorback2 raid and a series of successful lawsuits against public torrent websites, piracy is still growing steadily with modern studies showing more and more participants.

The effect MPAA raids have had on overall online pirating traffic is, to date, limited—the day Razorback2 (a major server on the Edonkey2000 network) was shut down, Edonkey2000 network traffic stayed the same, showing negligible change.^[11][12][13] However the MPAA has had a very successful history shutting down networks of pirated material and torrent sites, bolstering a record of approximately 75 during 2006.^[14]

The MPAA has also forced some well known fanfiction sites such as Fanfiction.net to cease using the MPAA Rating System to rate fanfictions on the site due to copyright infringement on the rating system. Fan fiction (also spelled fanfiction and commonly abbreviated to fanfic) is fiction written by people who enjoy a film, novel, television show or other media work, using the characters and situations developed in it and developing new plots in which to use these characters. ... FanFiction. ...

Allegation of copyright infringement by the MPAA

In 2007, English software developer Patrick Robin reported that the MPAA was illegally using his blogging platform, Forest Blog. Forest Blog is distributed for free under a linkware license; anyone who uses it must link back to his site where Forest Blog is offered for download. To remove the links back to his site, they must purchase a license. The MPAA had removed the links, without paying for a license. What is Linkware? The term linkware is used when refering to downloadable content, usually graphics, which require that the user puts a link (if used on a website) to the creators website, as a way of giving proper credit. ...

Monopoly

Since the MPAA members are the motion picture industry's most powerful studios, representing some of the world's largest media corporations, allegations of monopoly are often brought up by critics. Critics also point to the MPAA's support for closed standards that hinder competition. Other critics have suggested that films released by major studios (members of the MPAA) are given more deference in terms of ratings than films released by independents.^[15] For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... This article is about the economics of markets dominated by a single seller. ...

MiiVi.com

MPAA has been caught in creating a website claiming "fast and easy downloads" of hundreds of full-length movies after the user would install the MiiVi client-program which would then search the user's hardisk for illegal copies of movies and report them to MediaDefender. The website has currently been shut down.^[16] MediaDefender is a company which offers services designed to prevent and stop people who engage in peer-to-peer copyright infringement, using tactics such as flooding peer-to-peer networks with decoy files that tie up a users computer[1]. MediaDefender is based in Los Angeles California in the...

See also

• Anti-copyright
• DeCSS
• Lucky and Flo
• National Association of Theatre Owners
• Operation Red Card
• Who Makes Movies?
• You can click, but you can't hide
• This Film Is Not Yet Rated

Anti-copyright refers to the opposition to copyright laws. ... DeCSS is a computer program capable of decrypting content on a DVD video disc encrypted using the Content-Scrambling System (CSS). ... This article is considered orphaned, since there are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... The National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) is a trade organization based in the United States whose members are the owners of movie theaters. ... Operation Red Card is the name given to a two-month Asia-wide anti-piracy operation that was conducted by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) (the international arm of the Motion Picture Association of America) which resulted in the seizure of 6. ... Who Makes Movies? was an advertising campaign run jointly by several international associations looking to crack down on copyright infringement of motion pictures, most notably the MPAA as part of the larger Respect Copyrights campaign. ... Image placed on sites shut down for copyright infringement. ... This Film Is Not Yet Rated is an independent documentary film about the Motion Picture Association of Americas rating system and its effect on American culture, directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Eddie Schmidt. ...

References

Guardian Unlimited is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Statesman is a left-of-centre political weekly published in London. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Ars Technica is a technology-related website catering to PC enthusiasts. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is the eleventh-oldest institution of higher education and the oldest public university in the United States. ... The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Ars Technica is a technology-related website catering to PC enthusiasts. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 196th day of the year (197th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... In 1989 Ziff Davis Inc. ... Reuters Group plc (LSE: RTR and NASDAQ: RTRSY); pronounced is known as a financial market data provider and a news service that provides reports from around the world to newspapers and broadcasters. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Kirby Dick is a documentary film director. ... This Film Is Not Yet Rated is an independent documentary film about the Motion Picture Association of Americas rating system and its effect on American culture, directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Eddie Schmidt. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• www.mpaa.org - MPAA website