MUMBAI: The Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus (IAPC)’s announcement of its “priority piracy watch list” will help raise awareness of the real cost when American creative content is stolen and illegally distributed through some of the world’s most notorious marketplaces, the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) said today. IAPC warned against online theft in Canada, China, Russia, Spain and Ukraine.

“Theft of American movies, television shows, and other creative content in these countries and around the world costs tens of billions of dollars and jeopardizes the livelihoods of more than 2.4 million stagehands, makeup artists, actors, costume and set designers, truck drivers, architects, directors, accountants, and others who make up America’s creative community,” said MPAA executive vice president and chief policy officer Greg Frazier.

“As more and more people watch and enjoy creative works online, America and its partners abroad need to increase domestic and international efforts to protect those works from theft. We thank Senators Whitehouse and Hatch and Congressmen Schiff and Goodlatte for recognizing the serious threat of digital piracy and for shining a much-needed spotlight on those places around the world where America’s creative works are most at risk. We will continue to work with the IAPC and its members to promote copyright protection and the enforcement of intellectual property rights.

“It’s fitting that the IAPC’s announcement comes on the same day that the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously passed key legislation aimed at preventing content theft by cracking down on rogue websites that sell or distribute stolen creative works. Legislation like the bipartisan PROTECT IP Act sends a strong signal that the United States is committed to tough but smart action against those who try to profit from stolen intellectual property,” Frazier added.