MPAA's Chris Dodd praises Dems' platform on piracy

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Chris Dodd praised the Democratic Party Tuesday for recognizing the danger of online piracy in its party platform language on intellectual property.

"I am extremely pleased that the Democratic Party's platform language reinforces the critical importance of protecting America's intellectual property while ensuring the free flow of information on the Internet," Dodd said in a statement.

"The Internet is a nearly unparalleled source of creativity and innovation, not just in the entertainment community, but across nearly every sector of the U.S. economy. Protecting that source of creativity, as well as protecting the rights of the people behind that creativity, is integral not just to our economy, but to who we are as a nation."

Democrats are gathering in Charlotte, N.C., this week for their national convention. Dodd, who was a Democratic Senator from Connecticut for more than three decades before becoming Hollywood's top lobbyist, praised Republicans last week for embracing similar language about the dangers of Internet piracy in their party platform.

"Through their platform language, both parties have now clearly stated that protecting the free flow of information on the Internet and protecting American innovators are not mutually exclusive goals - and that in fact, they are equally critical," Dodd said. "That kind of insightful approach to this 21st century challenge from both parties is encouraging, and I look forward to continuing to work with everyone who is invested in these issues to develop meaningful solutions to protect an Internet that works for everyone."

As MPAA chief, Dodd has made cracking down on online copyright violations a top priority, with mixed results. Earlier this year, SOPA and PIPA, two content-protection bills that he backed vociferously, crashed and burned in congress after kicking off fierce blowback from Silicon Valley companies like Google and Facebook.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mpaas-chris-dodd-praises-dems-platform-piracy-203127716.html

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