Why Won't The MPAA's Lawyers Identify Themselves?

from the what-are-they-scared-of? dept

One interesting tidbit to come out of the MPAA and RealNetworks suing each other over Real's DVD backup software: the lawyers for the MPAA who presided over the press conference announcing the lawsuit asked the press not to identify them. This is bizarre. What sort of spokesperson won't allow themselves to be identified? And why would the MPAA's lawyers do that? More importantly, why would the press oblige?
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Filed Under: anonymity, lawyers, spokespeople
Companies: mpaa


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  • identicon
    Joseph Durnal, 1 Oct 2008 @ 11:39am

    They'll be identified

    And you can expect that their names and affiliations will be seen by many more people than would have bothered to care if they hadn't made such a request.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    NeoConBushSupporter, 1 Oct 2008 @ 11:41am

    Are You Kidding?

    "This is bizarre. What sort of spokesperson won't allow themselves to be identified?"

    The kind that are vilified and maligned constantly in the blog-o-sphere!?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:06pm

      Re: Are You Kidding?

      Oh, boo-hoo. People are going to say mean things about me on teh intarwebz because I work for the MPAA. I'm going to cry myself to sleep in my million-dollar home tonight.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Dosquatch, 1 Oct 2008 @ 1:11pm

      Re: Are You Kidding?

      The kind that are vilified and maligned constantly

      Not so much taking sides, just remembering what Mama always said - if you can't be proud of what you're doing, maybe you oughtn't be doing it.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Just a layperson, 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:03pm

    correct me if i'm wrong

    But, once they've filed the lawsuit and are the attorneys of record, isn't it public record?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:14pm

    Why Won't The MPAA's Lawyers Identify Themselves?

    Likely to try and limit "spam" from persons who haven't a clue about the legal issues involved and are offended they can't do as they please with digital content.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    GeneralEmergency (profile), 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:19pm

    The answer is simple.

    If their names are publicized, then their children and parents are very likely to find out what the REALLY do for a living.

    This makes for awkward Thanksgiving meals:

    RIAA Lawyer "Bob": "Mom, could you pass the gravy, please?"

    Mom: "Sure Son, here'ya go. And darling, please remember that no amount of my Giblet Gravy can wash away that empty feeling you have inside you because you're working for the GOD-DAMNED MPAA!"

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Howard_NYC, 1 Oct 2008 @ 2:02pm

      ROFL --> Re: The answer is simple.

      ROFL

      It would be less shameful if a relative was a sewer cleaner

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 7 Oct 2008 @ 7:43am

        Re: ROFL --> Re: The answer is simple.

        Because at least you can wash off the remnants of the sewer when you get home.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      another mike, 2 Oct 2008 @ 4:01pm

      Re: The answer is simple.

      She should make him sign a EULA and purchase a license for the gravy. And agree to the DRM, dinner rights management.
      When he goes to pour a second scoop of gravy on his mashed potatoes, she stops him and is like, "Oh, you only purchased a license for one ladle of gravy. Would you like to buy a license for a second ladle full?"
      Then when he tries to pour the second ladle of gravy on his stuffing instead of his mashed potatoes, "Oh no wait, that's gravy for mashed potatoes. You'll need to license a ladle of stuffing formatted gravy to do that."
      Now that there's different types of gravy dripping all over the plate, "Son, your turkey is infringing on the gravy you licensed. You can agree to a pre-settlement offer to clear the table after dinner, or have to do all the chores for the next year when we win in court."
      You weren't wrong GeneralEmergency, you just didn't carry it to its logical conclusion.
      The next year, when Thanksgiving is at the lawyer's house and his wife makes Mom's gravy, she gets sued for recipe infringement.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:19pm

    The press obliged because the MPA is like their cousin. You don't sell out family.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:26pm

    since when do thieves reveal themselves?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:38pm

    Long Live ThePirateBay!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    chris (profile), 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:45pm

    don't tell my mom

    don't tell my mom i'm a lawyer for the mpaa. the still thinks i'm a male prostitute.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:47pm

    "Almost foaming at the mouth, MPAA general counsel Greg Goeckner said Real Networks' Real DVD should be called Steal DVD"

    The MPAA are killing movies like the RIAA is killing music!

    Not 1 cent!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:55pm

    This Film Is Not Yet Rated

    The MPAA top man was Jack Valenti for many years. You may recall Valenti was also a presidential adviser prior to MPAA life.

    During MPAA tenure, he famously said to congress "I say to you that the VCR is to the American film producer and the American public as the Boston strangler is to the woman home alone." With roots in maintaining existing distribution and business models, it isn't surprising they want to be quiet.

    I know I'm pulling this a little off-topic here, but understand that the main function of MPAA is the ratings system. In a critical documentary completed in 2006, "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" was submitted to the MPAA for a rating. During submittal of this movie to the MPAA, it received a NC-17 rating, even though it failed to meet criteria published criteria for a NC-17 rating. The rating was subsequently surrendered, and in an interesting twist, it received a TV-14 rating via the Congressional TV Parental Guidelines system.

    Oh, I believe "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" does name some names. Could this be why it got a NC-17 rating?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:59pm

    Fuck the MPAA, its only illegal to them when anyone but them copies movies.

    Hypocrites!

    Fuck The MPAA!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 1:12pm

      Re:

      I agree, but please do a favor and refrain from the personal attacks. It's considerably more beneficial to all when comments can point to constructive criticism or other works which can back up potential allegations of hypocrisy. Using colorful language isn't constructive.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 1:19pm

        Re: Re:

        neither is being stupid? whom did I personally attack?

        Yeah, thats right, I said it!

        FUCK THE MPAA! They can all go to hell! nd if I am offending you, then stop working for them!

        link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 1:26pm

        Re: Re:

        Idiot, He said something about the MPAA and you PERSONALLY attacked him/her.

        Some people need school .....

        and some are just unteachable.

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 12:59pm

    What happens when an organization that is best known for inveighing against the unauthorized copying of movies gets caught doing exactly that? The Motion Picture Association of America was caught with its pants down, admitting to making unauthorized copies of the documentary This Film Is Not Yet Rated in advance of this week's Sundance Film Festival.

    This Film Is Not Yet Rated looks at the motion picture ratings system created and run by the MPAA. Director Kirby Dick submitted the film for rating in November. After receiving the movie, the MPAA subsequently made copies without Dick's permission. Dick had specifically requested in an e-mail that the MPAA not make copies of the movie. The MPAA responded by saying that "the confidentiality of your film is our first priority."

    Dick later learned that the MPAA made copies of the film to distribute them to its employees, despite the MPAA's stance on unauthorized copying. Ah, there's nothing like the smell of hypocrisy in the morning—apparently the prohibition against copying films without the copyright owner's consent doesn't apply to the MPAA. A lawyer for the MPAA justified the organization's apparent hypocrisy by saying that Dick had invaded the privacy of some MPAA staffers, which justified the MPAA's actions.

    "We made a copy of Kirby's movie because it had implications for our employees," said Kori Bernards, the MPAA's vice president for corporate communications. She said Dick spied on the members of the MPAA's Classification and Rating Administration, including going through their garbage and following them as they drove their children to school.

    A little background: This Film looks at how the rating system functions, specifically at how some types of content are treated differently by the MPAA. Dick feels that the MPAA is full of—surprise—double standards, especially when it comes to how they treat graphic violence vs. sexual content, heterosexual vs. homosexual sex, and big-studio vs. independent films. As part of the documentary's creation, Dick trailed and identified some of the previously anonymous members of the ratings board. Dick's conduct became a cause for concern for both the MPAA and its employees, leading to their calling the police on some occasions.

    According to Mark Lemley, a professor at the Stanford Law School, the MPAA may have been within its rights to make copies of the film. Given that the MPAA's intent isn't financial gain and that the whole situation may rise above the level of trading barbs through the media into legal action, making a copy may be justified. Personally, I can't see any justification for an organization such as the MPAA ignoring a directive from a copyright owner, but IANAL. A "digital version" of the movie was submitted for screening, according to Dick's attorney, Michael Donaldson. If that digital version turns out to be a DVD, the MPAA could also find itself in hot water for violating the DMCA. Oh, the irony! Either way, the MPAA can't be happy about being put into a position where they are forced to justify the same actions they decry when undertaken by a consumer.

    It's difficult to see how This Film Is Not Yet Rated—which ended up with an NC-17 rating for graphic sexual content—is being harmed. If nothing else, Dick is reaping a bountiful crop of free publicity on the eve of the Sundance Film Festival. The MPAA's decision to make copies of the film without the copyright-holder's permission reinforces the documentary's message that the MPAA's actions often reek of self-interest and hypocrisy.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    eleete, 1 Oct 2008 @ 1:05pm

    http://www.eleete.com

    "And why would the MPAA's lawyers do that?"
    To mask their political contributions to candidates maybe?


    "More importantly, why would the press oblige?"
    They have an agenda and facilitate the hiding of the contributions made by the firm or the attorneys themselves.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Magilla, 1 Oct 2008 @ 1:18pm

    MPAA

    I'm a noob with all this. Could someone enlighten me as just how this group came into being, and who gave them that power? Was it the government?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Pedro Mack, 1 Oct 2008 @ 1:29pm

    Does anyone know which reporters were present at this teleconference? Or, have their identities been hidden as well? If not, perhaps we can ask them what the *#!@ they were thinking in obliging this request.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 1:33pm

    rent, rip, and return

    stopping all the programs that make this possible is like ridding the ghetto of roaches.

    Maybe they should spend their energy on making better content and embracing the technical age instead of trying to blow us back into the stone age.

    I had never heard of this before but man it is a great idea, Thanks! There are SO many FREE programs out there for coping disks!

    As always their attempts to stop what they don't like only promotes it!

    KUDOS!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Mike, 1 Oct 2008 @ 3:24pm

    Heres why...

    Because some of us bombard them with email, snailmail and posters in their neighborhoods... and asking the press to not release their names won't help one bit. to date I have sent over 15000 emails to various MPAA staffers...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Oct 2008 @ 6:45pm

    Were they wearing hoods & masks

    too?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Steve R. (profile), 2 Oct 2008 @ 1:48pm

    Studios Sue to Bar a DVD Copying Program

    New York Times Article: Studios Sue to Bar a DVD Copying Program

    “We are disappointed that the movie industry is following in the footsteps of the music industry and trying to shut down advances in technology, rather than embracing changes that provide consumers with more value and flexibility for their purchases,” RealNetworks said in a statement Tuesday.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous MPAA loather, 5 Oct 2008 @ 5:34pm

    Unless the court documents are sealed

    I doubt that MPAA and their lawyers could get those documents sealed without the agreement of their victims. I know if they made a request like that of me while they were suing me, my price for preserving the privacy of lawyers so low that they would file lawsuits on behalf of the MPAA on the shaky evidence they have would be pretty high.

    If the court documents aren't sealed, then it's just a matter of time before someone requests a copy and transcribes them. I expect they'll turn up on Groklaw any day now.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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