If you have any questions about the definition of copyright, what it supports, or how it affects our society through jobs or economic growth, you can now get an eight minute tutorial on the Copyright Alliance’s website.
The video takes you from the perspective of our founding fathers on rights of authors to the impact of [...]

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Vin Di Bona is Chairman, Creator and Executive Producer of Vin Di Bona Productions, which has made America laugh for nearly two decades. He talks with the Copyright Alliance about the successes and challenges of being a producer.
Tell us a little about Vin Di Bona Productions.
“Vin Di Bona Productions is a small television production company [...]

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Yes, Virginia, there are bloggers and organizations out there that wish to deny artists the right to choose what happens to their works, and yes, they sometimes try to use the words of artists against other artists to further their cause.

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The artist and comedian George Carlin kicked the bucket Sunday night. Why the crude phraseology? Because Carlin would have wanted it that way. He viewed the phrase "passed away" as one of the earliest forms of political correctness, something he despised long before it was cool to despise it.

It may seem odd for a blog focused on artists' rights to profile a comedian. Carlin did produce valuable copyrighted works, from his gold comedy albums in the 1970s to his 16 HBO specials over the last three decades. But I wish to focus here on his role as an artist.

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The National Music Publishers' Association (NMPA) held its annual meeting in New York City this week. A few hundred member publishers - both big and small - attended, showing support for the diligent work of the NMPA. They graciously hosted the Copyright Alliance at the meeting as a partner in copyright issues.

The meeting was full of energy and excitement as ideas were exchanged, old friends reunited, and songwriters were honored.

Dan Glickman, chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, launched the meeting as the keynote speaker, reinforcing the importance of upholding copyright across all arts industries. NMPA President and CEO David Israelite briefed attendees on industry facts and its efforts to support music publishers.

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The recurring theme at "Creative Industries in Transition: New Directions for the Digital Era" today at GW University was from keynoter Robert Merges, law professor at UC Berkeley. In a paper presented at the symposium and in his remarks, he thoroughly discredited the "free culture" thinking rampant in academia. His thesis came in three parts: 1) Copyright still makes sense in a digital economy (the daily theme of the Copyright Alliance). 2) Discrete rights for different creators makes sense (he cited songwriters). 3) Performing rights organizations are more important than ever.

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All the right things were said at this morning's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on copyright protection. (Find witness testimony and the opening statement of Chairman Patrick Leahy [D-VT] here.) The focus of this hearing was the health risks of copyright, including unsafe electronics with fake UL approval labels, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and knockoff automobile parts such as brake pads or timing belts. The witnesses mentioned the growing role the Internet plays in facilitating this counterfeiting. The hearing served three important purposes: 1) It emphasized that IP enforcement enjoys strong bipartisan support. 2) It showed that there are real dangers associated with counterfeiting.

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What spurs a country that otherwise looks the other way at piracy and counterfeiting to suddenly crack down on the crime? The same thing that drives the world — self-interest.

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On Wednesday night the Copyright Alliance hosted a one-year anniversary celebration in the breathtaking Lyndon B. Johnson room off of the Senate floor in the US Capitol. Our anniversary actually was in May, but this was when we could get the room, and that was worth postponing our celebration.

The room was appropriate; LBJ's protégé was of course Jack Valenti, who for many years championed copyright at the Motion Picture Association of America. Mr. Valenti had a vision for an organization whose membership would include all copyright industries, and he took many steps toward that goal. His successor, Dan Glickman, shared that vision and was at the front of the movement to create what we now know as the Copyright Alliance.

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On Monday the Copyright Alliance launched the culmination of months of work and a year-long vision, the one voi©e campaign. What is one voi©e? Quite simply, it is artists and creators from every imaginable field coming together as one voice in support of their rights.

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