MPAA Calls Censorship Of Websites 'Forward Looking'

from the i-think-it's-the-opposite dept

Ah, the word choices of the MPAA. The organization that once claimed the VCR was the "Boston Strangler" of the movie industry is now out there trying to get three strikes and censorship laws passed to protect their business model, and referring to these backwards looking protectionist policies as "forward looking." That's what MPAA boss Bob Pisano called the idea, found in the COICA proposal to censor web sites the MPAA doesn't like. Of course, if this had been in effect when the VCR first came out, there would be no VCR.

Of course, Hollywood is having record year each year at the box office, so it certainly is hard to see how file sharing is "killing" the movie industry at the box office. The MPAA and its supporters, no doubt, will say but that's not the market to look at. It's the DVD market that is being stifled by file sharing. Yet, last we checked, with smart business models, the DVD market is doing quite well with services from Netflix and Redbox that focus on providing convenience (a nice scarcity). Besides, considering how hard the MPAA worked to try to kill off the VCR in the first place, isn't it a bit ridiculous to now claim that the government needs to somehow artificially "protect" recorded video sales?

If there's one thing that the MPAA has consistently proven, it's that it has absolutely no clue what "forward looking" policies actually are, and most of its ideas appear to be quite the opposite.

Filed Under: bob pisano, censorship, forward looking
Companies: mpaa