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.

Earlier today the International Anti-Piracy Caucus led by Sens. Biden
(D-Del.) and Smith (R-Ore.) and Reps. Schiff (D-Cal.) and Goodlatte (R-Va.)
released the 2008
International Piracy Watch List. The actual list is here, 
Goodlatte and Schiff both focused on the troubles with copyright enforcement in
Russia and China, which were also recently singled out by the U.S.

The chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America addressed a
packed ballroom at the National Press Club today as part of the NPC's Luncheon
Series. Thus Dan Glickman drew at
least as large of a crowd as the NPC morning speaker, the Rev.
Jeremiah Wright. I heard Glickman, I did not hear Wright; I suspect the
former was less controversial than the latter, but Glickman did wade into the
choppy waters of international trade while emphasizing the importance of
combating piracy through law enforcement, international cooperation, and

On Friday U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab released the latest
Special 301 report, which highlights the nations most flagrantly violating
international treaties on intellectual property protection. You can see our
praise for the USTR's latest efforts in a statement
we released Friday. (See highlights of our statement and others in Associated

I had the opportunity to hear celebrated Indian filmmaker Bobby Bedi on the Hill last night. Well, let me say I heard him, but it was hard to understand him, because the high stone walls of the Rayburn foyer are not conducive to good acoustics, and my ears have never been very sharp since a series of ear infections as a child.

I managed to make out the gist of his speech, though, namely that he wished there were more IP protection in his country, that doing so would boost the Indian economy, and that while Hollywood makes much of its money off of redistribution (pay-per-view, broadcast rights, DVDs), Bollywood makes maybe 5% from redistribution.

Well, China, it's a start. Variety, I look forward to your follow-up story after the summer Olympics.

Guest blog by Fran Nevrkla, Chairman and CEO of PPL and VPL in the United Kingdom:

Greetings from the other side of the pond -
where our national game is over every six balls, our public schools are
private, we call our hills downs and we let our musicians (and record
companies) lose the rights in their recordings during their lifetime. I'm sure
we'll continue our eccentricity in sport, education and our love of the
countryside but maybe, just maybe, we might change things for the better for
our musicians.

It should be considered common sense but it's always nice to have hard data to back it up — strong IP rights lead to wealthier nations and higher standards of living. Much higher.

Yes, piracy hurts artists who have made millions of dollars with their music. Can they afford to lose some? Well, it's not really my place to say, nor is it that of anyone else. But most creators are people we've never heard of, and we're less likely to hear of them if they're driven out of the business by a lack of respect for their property. It's true in the United States. It's true in Europe, where I just attended Midem. And it's true in Ghana.

Cannes, France — Imagine you held a music conference and someone forgot the musicians.

It wasn't that bad here. But it's important to remember that Midem is not a showcase for artists, as you would find at Austin's SXSW or Berlin's Popkomm. There's plenty of dealmaking here, but the deals don't involve the artists so much as they do, say, business partners of artists.

Music publishing rights. Mechanical, sound recording and performance rights. You name the rights. The artists have representatives, and tables and chairs on the trade show floor are filled with rights being leased and sold.