Thirty content companies from around the globe are forming an anti-online piracy coalition that will, among other things, sue offenders, said an announcement Tuesday. Members of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) include Amazon, AMC, BBC Worldwide, Bell Canada and Bell Media, Canal+ Group, CBS, Disney, HBO, Hulu, Lionsgate, MGM, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Sky, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Star India, Telemundo, Televisa, 20th Century Fox, Univision and Warner Bros. ACE said its efforts will include research, working with law enforcement on curtailing piracy, filing litigation and pursuing voluntary agreements. It said MPAA would play a role, with that group's anti-piracy resources being used alongside the anti-piracy expertise of ACE member companies.

Friday is the last day to register for a free “exhibit-plus” badge for the Audio Engineering Society’s New York convention at Javits Center, AES said in a Tuesday announcement. The exhibits-plus registration, which will cost $75 after Friday, gives the holder access to the convention’s special events and exhibit floor. The badge also will grant access to the adjacent NAB Show New York exhibit floor and workshops in that show’s “core package,” also a $75 value, AES said. The AES convention runs Oct. 18-21. NAB Show New York is Oct. 18-19.

An agreement between YouTube and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is designed to ensure ASCAP members are paid more fairly and accurately for the use of their music on YouTube, they said in a Tuesday announcement. The agreement leverages YouTube’s data exchange and ASCAP’s database of musical works “to address the industry challenge of identifying songwriter, composer and publisher works on YouTube,” they said. The collaboration will enable “new levels of monetization and transparency” for ASCAP members, with an ultimate goal of ensuring that “more money goes to the songwriters, composers and publishers whose creative works fuel the digital music economy,” said ASCAP CEO Elizabeth Matthews.

Though President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement (see 1706050032), the tech industry “remains committed to the goals of the accord, and our determination to combat the threats posed by climate change has not wavered,” said Rick Goss, Information Technology Industry Council senior vice president-environment and sustainability, in a Monday blog post. Support for the Paris agreement “is consistent with the core values of the tech industry,” said Goss. “We believe that operating a business in a sustainable fashion is not only good for the environment and our customers, but also for the U.S. economy and the American worker. No matter if you live in a red state or blue state, renewable jobs are coming to a place near you.” Failure of the U.S. “to build a low-carbon economy puts American prosperity at risk and hands the leadership role -- and the jobs and economic benefits that go with that -- to other countries,” he said. “The right action right now will create jobs and boost U.S. competitiveness.”

President Donald Trump’s administration should “press China to change its course” on its recently implemented cybersecurity law, the Computer & Communications Industry Association Monday told National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn. The law, which took effect last week, drew opposition from CCIA and other U.S.-based interests because it includes data localization rules (see 1612080077, 1703080067 and 1705150067). Addressing the Chinese law “is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the Administration’s commitment to winning on behalf of America’s most productive and job-creating companies,” CCIA said. “Without the Administration’s support -- or with its indifference -- all industry sectors that rely on high-tech goods and services will continue to get a bad deal as they look to compete in China.”

CTA, unlike much of the tech industry, has “not taken a position” on the Paris climate accord, nor on President Donald Trump’s decision Thursday withdrawing the U.S. from the agreement, spokesman Jeff Joseph emailed us Monday. The Information Technology Industry Council released a statement criticizing Trump's decision Thursday as “a setback for America’s leadership in the world.” Earlier in the week, Adobe, Apple, Facebook, Google, Intel and Microsoft were the tech firms among the two dozen companies taking out full-page ads in major newspapers urging Trump not to withdraw the U.S. from the climate accord on ground that the Paris agreement "benefits U.S. businesses and the U.S. economy in many ways."

T-Mobile will celebrate “the amazing diversity and struggle for equal rights of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender and queer communities by supporting and participating in a record 53 Pride events across 29 states,” the carrier said in a Friday news release.

GSMA said Wednesday some industry heavyweights are confirmed for the first Mobile World Congress Americas, Sept. 12-14 in San Francisco. The conference doubles as CTIA’s annual show. Confirmed speakers include Carlos Slim Domit, CEO of América Móvil; Sunil Bharti Mittal, founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises and chairman of GSMA; CTIA President Meredith Baker; GSMA Director General Mats Granryd; Rajeev Suri, CEO of Nokia; Dan Schulman, CEO of PayPal; Marcelo Claure, CEO of Sprint; and Ronan Dunne, executive vice president and group president of Verizon Wireless. “Mobile World Congress Americas will reflect an experience truly representative of North, Central and South America, capturing many of its region- and culture-specific nuances,” said Michael O’Hara, chief marketing officer of GSMA, in a news release.

Analysts at a Wireless Infrastructure Association conference last week saw general optimism among tower companies about the future of the infrastructure industry due to the TV incentive auction, FirstNet, 5G and the IoT. Executives generally agreed last week in Orlando. A business backlog "centers around -- 600 MHz, FirstNet, inventory of undeployed spectrum and the general need to spend given the impact of the Unlimited plans on the networks," Wells Fargo's Jennifer Fritzsche wrote investors. Macquarie Capital's Amy Yong saw as positives a potential combination of Sprint and T-Mobile and network densification: “The wireless market is attracting more players, accelerated by 5G, IoT, and the prospect of net neutrality being repealed." Executives saw lots of promise from deployment of 5G by carriers. “There’s a lot of talk about 5G and the applications for 5G,” said Steven Marshall, president of American Tower's U.S. tower division. “The reality is the standards are still evolving.” Major deployments are unlikely before 2020, he said. “That doesn’t mean to say that there isn’t a lot of work to be done now by all of us.” Crown Castle CEO Jay Brown said 5G offers carriers the best opportunity to increase average revenue per user in a way that hasn’t been possible for many years: “Whether you want to think about wearables or autonomous cars, smart cities or any number of applications, I believe there are real opportunities for our carrier customers.”

Altice NV will rebrand itself worldwide as Altice, with a new logo and corporate tagline -- "Together has no limits" -- as part of a new global strategy, the company said in a news release Tuesday. It said the aim is "a unique, seamless and simplified experience for customers," with the new brand and logo replacing current brands at the different Altice operating companies by the end of Q2 2018. It said business-to-business brands will transition to Altice Business, while telco sub-brands in certain areas -- like media news brands such as News 12 Networks and i24News -- won't change. Altice closed on Suddenlink in 2015 and took over Cablevision -- now known as Optimum -- last year.