Dan GlickmanWhen the Motion Picture Association of America was formed in the 1920′s, its primary mission was to change the public’s negative views toward the movie business.
Today its main target is copyright theft. The M.P.A.A.’s home page displays a running tally of the number of pirated DVD’s confiscated, and its international counterpart, the Motion Picture Association, was behind “Operation Takedown,” which recently resulted in the arrest of 461 alleged movie pirates, mostly in Asia.
Dan Glickman, the M.P.A.A.’s C.E.O., claims that the movie industry loses about $6 billion worldwide to piracy each year. But he isn’t discouraged. As he told Time magazine:
There are a lot of industries in America that we’ve seen dissipate. But the movie industry remains extremely strong. … The protection of intellectual-property rights is at the top of the agenda so that people can continue to create and produce.
Besides going after piracy, Glickman has also pushed for more transparency in the movie-ratings system, and hopes to convince moviegoers that NC-17 doesn’t mean porn.
Before running the M.P.A.A., Glickman led the Institute of Politics at Harvard University’s J.F.K. School of Government, served as Secretary of Agriculture for six years under President Clinton, and served as a nine-term congressman from Kansas.
His favorite movie is The Godfather.
Glickman has agreed to take your questions, so fire away in the comments section below. As with past Q&A’s, we will post his answers in short course.
Addendum: Glickman answers your questions here.
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I’d like to hear your opinion on the potential for movies being released across all formats, theater, DVD, internet, cable or satellite on-demand, etc., simultaneously. Thanks!
How can we stop blasphemy in the movies. i mean, we have special ratings for porn so you can’t see it until you’re a certain age. Why can’t we have a rating for movies that contain blasphemy? What impact would that have on the money movies make by not taking God’s name in vain?
What can you do to lower the prices of theater tickets? I believe that the lower the price, the more people would attend due to the poor economy. get em’ in the door cheap and hit em’ hard at the snack bar.
I’m a current 2L law student with a strong interest in intellectual property. I’d love to hear any advice you could offer on getting into and working in the industry.
Why aren’t movies priced at the box-office based on demand? It costs the same to see a romantic comedy in its fourth week with seven other people in the theater, as it does a huge sold-out blockbuster on opening weekend. Surely there must be some room for elasticity.
According your research what portion of consumers of pirated material are not likely to have legitimately purchased the films they possess in pirated form?
How is violence rated in the MPAA ratings system?
What is the fundamental reasoning for sex requiring more censure than violence?
How is interracial sex rated in comparison to single race sex?
How much does the industry spend on advertising against piracy? What is the profit margin of the major players?
(1) How can you justify the relevance of an industry that charges its customers $20 to have a date at the cinema, but sell the DVD to have for all-time for $20 or less? This is especially relevant today, where much of middle-class pride is owning a decent home theater system with a nice TV.
And
(2) What is the long-term vision of the movie business? Will hundred-seater cinemas still play a central role?