p2pnet news view Politics | Movies:- Any hope that the appointment of five RIAA lawyers to the new US Department of Justice was something of an aberration can now be dashed.

And any doubt that the Obama administration will take over from George W. Bush, working in the best vested interests of the corporate entertainment industry, can now similarly be dispelled.

In the wake of the Hollywood and major record label attack on Swedish search engine The Pirate Bay, P2P file sharers and enterprises set up to serve the P2P communities can expect a massive upsurge in hostilities.

Yesterday, Hollywood released the The Economic Impact of the Motion Picture & Television Industry on the United States, a typical movie industry non-think piece in high praise of itself.

“The magic of the big screen is something we all have experienced,” said an accompanying puff piece from MPAA boss Dan ‘The Joker’ Glickman, going on:

“We can all recount the unforgettable moments from our favorite movies – scenes that make us laugh, cry, cheer, wonder, and believe. We associate these moments with Hollywood and big stars and big studios. And while these are important and visible pieces of the industry, they don’t represent the entire picture.”

Following Glickman’s lead, “In the past, perhaps there was a tendency to be dismissive of what you produce,” commerce secretary Gary Locke (right) said at a PR event staged to present the picture that America, its culture and its economy depend on Hollywood.

Quoted by CongressDaily, “I see your product as a uniquely American commodity,” he gushed. “Movies and television shows are a direct product of the freedom we enjoy.”

Remember how, according to Time Warner, Viacom, Fox, Sony, NBC Universal and Disney, the movie industry is being “devastated” by file sharers and counterfeiters, and workers are being throw out onto the streets in their droves?

More Hollywood BS.

To the contrary, while, “many U.S. industries are struggling, the movie industry is growing, “accounting for some 2.5 million jobs” and with a “trade surplus” of nearly $14 billion,” Locke observed, quoting the MPAA puff-piece.

But, “the huge cost of counterfeiting and piracy is a drag on the entertainment industry and the U.S. economy as a whole,” CongressDaily has Locke saying in a second story, going on »»»

He said he has seen the effects of infringement firsthand during his many trips to China. “Our ability to trade in a rules-based system around the world is critical to our success,” he said, adding that President Obama is “well aware of the impact of piracy.”

The Commerce Department has been a leader for the federal government by placing IP attachés in global hot spots and creating resources to help rights-holders protect their creations.

“I understand the extent of the problem and the need to challenge it on many fronts,” Locke said, noting that effectively addressing IP theft “will require collaboration of government and industry.”

Ironically, as p2pnet reported yesterday, file sharers comprise some of Vivendi Universal, EMI, Warner Music and Sony Music’s best customers, and the same can be said for the movie studios.

Meanwhile, ardent Hollywood supporter Orrin ‘Terminator’ Hatch will, “soon reintroduce legislation with Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucu that would augment actions the U.S. government can take to combat violations of U.S. intellectual property abroad,” says CongressDaily, adding

The bill would authorize more funding for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to work with developing countries on IP improvements and would punish nations who do not comply. The threat of piracy is “getting stronger all the time… far exceeding traditional property crimes,” he said.

Meanwhile, absent from Locke’s remarks were details about two key related positions that remain vacant — the Patent and Trademark Office director and the IP enforcement coordinator, a White House position created last year to unify agencies that have a role in IP protection.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy and ranking member Arlen Specter, as well as Sens. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, pressed Obama in a recent letter to name an IP czar soon but an administration official said Tuesday that announcement and the naming of a PTO head are ‘not imminent’.”

Stay tuned.

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CongressDaily – Lawmakers, Locke Extol Hollywood’s Economic ‘Action’, April 22, 2009
CongressDaily – Locke Emphasizes Role Of Intellectual Property In Recovery, April 22, 2009
p2pnet – File sharers big music’ s best customers, April 21, 2009