Mumbai: In his keynote address before the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) luncheon this afternoon, Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), chairman and CEO Dan Glickman championed the need for intellectual property protections and the importance of bipartisanship to improve public policy. He also emphasized the need for Washington legislators to traverse party lines, even during the partisan presidential election season.
"You have to look no further than the record-breaking box office success of The Dark Knight from last weekend to know that the appeal of American movies transcend political boundaries," Glickman said. "I believe the same can be true as we tackle the major issues facing our country and our world."
In the pursuit for stronger intellectual property protections, Glickman has worked closely with policymakers from both parties, labour and a wide range of business communities to support efforts to broaden protections for copyrighted goods – from fashion and pharmaceuticals to music and movies.
The MPAA has been part of this broad coalition supporting legislation in Congress called the PRO-IP Act that is a comprehensive, bipartisan measure that will strengthen our nation’s economy and generate more jobs for American workers by bolstering protections for intellectual property.
Glickman emphasized the impact that intellectual property industries have on the American economy, highlighting the economic importance of the United States motion picture and television industry in particular, which employs 1.3 million American workers annually, generates $30.24 billion in wages and produces some of the U.S.’s most well-received and recognizable cultural ambassadors abroad.
"I do believe we will see greater global cooperation on intellectual property," Glickman said. "The more sophisticated work countries do in the global economy, the greater their own stake. And, same as any of these issues, the more it’s about all of us rather than some of us—the more progress we can make together."
Glickman, a former Secretary of Agriculture under the Clinton Administration and former member of Congress from Kansas, said his experiences reaching across party lines have helped him be an effective advocate for the motion picture industry that focuses on a variety of non-partisan issues.
"I have always found the most success working across party lines – whether securing reparations for black farmers or working with Senators Dole and McGovern on the school nutrition program, or now, rallying the world on intellectual property rights," Glickman said.
