Mumbai: MPAA’s Dan Glickman joined New York’s Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and others to announce an aggressive new approach to fighting piracy in the Empire State. Cuomo announced that he is appointing a special intellectual property deputy and is proposing new legislation that increases penalties for illegal cam cording in theaters. According to Glickman, Cuomo is a trailblazer at the state level by fighting to protect the jobs and economic benefits the movie and television industry brings to state economies.
"I applaud Attorney General Cuomo for his vision to combat intellectual property theft – a move that will help protect the investment the state of New York has made in the motion picture and television business with one of the most attractive and enhanced production tax credit packages in the U.S." Glickman said.
Glickman went on to note that the AG’s proposal will also protect state revenue in the form of sales tax receipts that otherwise would be lost from counterfeit sales of DVDs and movies online. He said that the Attorney General’s commitment to battling piracy is something he hopes will catch on in other states.
"At a time when some state lawmakers in our home base of California seek to burden the motion picture and television business with new regulations and seek changes in tax policy that would stymie entertainment industry growth and reduce the workforce, New York continues to tell us it’s open for business and that it wants to continue to build a vibrant and sustained positive economic environment for the entertainment industry," Glickman said.
"Attorney General Cuomo reinforces that strong and clear message to MPAA and the studios with today’s announcement." Glickman also recognized the leadership of NBC General Counsel, Rick Cotton, who chairs the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Coalition against Counterfeiting and Piracy. Cotton, according to Glickman, has been a leader in the fight to tackle the negative effects of piracy on the entertainment industry and the economy overall.
Other participants in the announcement included actress Tina Fey, NBC Universal president and CEO Jeff Zucker; New York State Senator Frank Padavan and New York State Assembly Codes Committee Chair Joseph R. Lentol, as well as representatives of the National Association of Theater Owners, Directors Guild of America and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States.
