Today, the Production Music Association (PMA), on behalf of its 392 member libraries , sent a letter to Senators Patrick Leahy and Chuck Grassley endorsing the bipartisan Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, the PROTECT IP Act. The letter stressed the importance of intellectual property protection to the economy and urged for enactment of the bill this year.
“The music industry is detrimentally impacted by online piracy,” said Debra Krizman, PMA’s Executive Director. “When criminals steal our music online, they are undermining the value of creativity and cultural expression, the protection of which is rooted in the U.S. Constitution. Additionally they are stealing jobs and hindering our much-needed economic growth.”
The letter emphasized the explosive growth of rogue sites, noting that a study of 100 rogue sites found the traffic generated by the sites reached 53 billion hits per year. Total global sales of counterfeit goods via the Internet reached $135 billion in 2010, costing the G-20 economies 2.5 million jobs.
“The PROTECT IP Act sets us in the right direction to providing us with much-needed tools to combat rogue sites,” added Krizman. “We look forward to working with Senator Leahy, Senator Grassley, the bill’s co-sponsors, along with their House counterparts, to enact carefully balanced rogue sites legislation this year.”
About THE PMA
The Production Music Association is a non-profit, volunteer organization currently comprising 392 member companies, including major-label publishers and national independents, and is providing crucial leadership to protect the value of its members’ work. The PMA provides education, support, and advocacy on behalf of the production music community. For more information visit www.pmamusic.com.