MPAA, Creative Groups Urge Pro-IP Track in Trade Talks

A "new threat" to IP-intensive music and film industries is emerging in copyright trade talks, said a letter that 37 groups, including MPAA and creative groups, sent Monday to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer asking America's negotiators to ignore voices backing "vast new immunities" for online services. "If these anti-IP voices succeed, they will turn long-standing trade policy, with creativity and innovation at its core, on its head by transforming our trade agreements into blueprints for how to evade liability for IP theft," they said. The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, BMI, Digital Media Licensing Association, News Media Alliance, SoundExchange and others asked the U.S. to "chart a pro-IP course." NAFTA delegates and policymakers "shouldn't be fooled by Hollywood rhetoric," responded Joshua Lamel, Re:Create Coalition executive director. "The gatekeepers of the entertainment industry claim to represent ‘creators' yet they routinely ignore the interests of millions of bloggers, podcasters, internet video stars and Etsy artisans who rely on balanced copyright provisions to utilize online platforms," he said in a statement. “Fair use and safe harbors are essential parts of the American intellectual property framework and actually make IP stronger. If NAFTA covers intellectual property, fair use and safe harbors must be explicitly included."