Latest news with #MotionPictureAssociation
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Man in North Wales arrested for ‘leaking Hollywood films online'
A man has been arrested in North Wales on suspicion of leaking unreleased Hollywood films online. The 47-year-old suspect is being investigated over alleged copyright offences at his home in Penmaenmawr, near Conwy, on April 29 by officers from the police intellectual property crime unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police. He is suspected to have obtained thousands of films, television series and songs without the necessary licence or permissions from copyright owners and then distributed them through a file-sharing torrent site, according to police. The content included two recent Hollywood films that were leaked before their official release dates, the force said. Officers shut down the site and seized two laptops and several hard drives for further examination. A quantity of discs were also seized. The arrest came after an investigation by the intellectual property crime unit and the Motion Picture Association. The man has since been released under investigation, City of London Police said. Det Con Jason Theobald, of the intellectual property crime unit, said: 'This operation serves as a warning to anyone thinking of uploading copyrighted material to pirate sites. 'This is a crime that diverts funds away from the creative industries, money that not only supports artists, but thousands of technical and support staff working in this sector. 'It's estimated that this type of criminal activity contributes to around 86,000 job losses each year alone. PIPCU is committed to working with partners, nationally and internationally, to take action against those involved.' Karyn Temple, a senior executive vice president and global general counsel for the Motion Picture Association, said: 'This operation stands as a powerful testament to the impact of close collaboration between law enforcement, the creative sector and industry partners. 'We commend PIPCU for their leadership and dedication – their unique role in tackling intellectual property crime is essential in today's digital age. Together, we are delivering meaningful results in the fight against piracy. 'As technology continues to evolve, so do the threats to creative content. This decisive enforcement action reinforces the message that piracy is not a victimless crime – it damages creators, disrupts legitimate businesses, and endangers consumers. 'We are proud to stand with PIPCU and our partners to protect creative industries and ensure audiences around the world can enjoy stories in a safe, legal and secure way.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Man in North Wales arrested for ‘leaking Hollywood movies online'
A man has been arrested in North Wales on suspicion of leaking unreleased Hollywood films online. The 47-year-old suspect is being investigated over alleged copyright offences at his home in Penmaenmawr, near Conwy, on April 29 by officers from the police intellectual property crime unit (PIPCU) at City of London Police. He is suspected to have obtained thousands of films, television series and songs without the necessary licence or permissions from copyright owners and then distributed them through a file-sharing torrent site, according to police. The content included two recent Hollywood films that were leaked before their official release dates, the force said. Officers shut down the site and seized two laptops and several hard drives for further examination. A quantity of discs were also seized. The arrest came after an investigation by the intellectual property crime unit and the Motion Picture Association. The man has since been released under investigation, City of London Police said. A crime that hurts the creative industries Det Con Jason Theobald, of the intellectual property crime unit, said: 'This operation serves as a warning to anyone thinking of uploading copyrighted material to pirate sites. 'This is a crime that diverts funds away from the creative industries, money that not only supports artists, but thousands of technical and support staff working in this sector. 'It's estimated that this type of criminal activity contributes to around 86,000 job losses each year alone. PIPCU is committed to working with partners, nationally and internationally, to take action against those involved.' Karyn Temple, a senior executive vice president and global general counsel for the Motion Picture Association, said: 'This operation stands as a powerful testament to the impact of close collaboration between law enforcement, the creative sector and industry partners. 'We commend PIPCU for their leadership and dedication – their unique role in tackling intellectual property crime is essential in today's digital age. Together, we are delivering meaningful results in the fight against piracy. 'As technology continues to evolve, so do the threats to creative content. This decisive enforcement action reinforces the message that piracy is not a victimless crime – it damages creators, disrupts legitimate businesses, and endangers consumers. 'We are proud to stand with PIPCU and our partners to protect creative industries and ensure audiences around the world can enjoy stories in a safe, legal and secure way.'
Express Tribune
15-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Hollywood requests Trump to implement tax incentive
Listen to article Hollywood studios and unions representing movie workers joined forces Monday to urge US President Donald Trump to give tax breaks to US-made films. The joint letter, which was also signed by Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone — two of Trump's "ambassadors" to Hollywood — comes days after the Republican president said he wanted to impose 100 percent tariffs on foreign films in a bid to help the domestic industry. The letter thanks Trump "for the support you have shown our industry," and for drawing attention to production fleeing overseas. But it makes no mention of Trump's tariff plan, a proposal that was met with bafflement across the industry, with observers saying they had no idea how such a tax might work. "Currently, more than 80 countries offer production tax incentives and as a result, numerous productions that could have been shot in America have instead located elsewhere," says the letter. "Returning more production to the United States will require a national approach and broad-based policy solutions, including longer term initiatives such as implementing a federal film and television tax incentive." The idea of a federal tax credit scheme was also suggested last week by California Governor Gavin Newsom. The letter, from the Motion Picture Association — an umbrella grouping for major studios and streamers — and unions representing directors, actors and writers, suggests a number of tax deductions that would make film-making cheaper. "A domestic production incentive would make the US market more competitive and able to retain and return high-paying jobs tied to film and television productions — and the use of this deduction has historically promoted significant economic and job growth," it says. Tariffs on 'foreign' films America's film industry has gradually moved away from its traditional home in and around Hollywood as production has shifted to cheaper locations. The number of shooting days in Los Angeles reached an all-time low last year — lower even than during the Covid-19 pandemic, when filming shut down completely. Fewer than one in five films or TV series broadcast in the United States was produced in California, according to FilmLA, an organization that tracks the movie industry. The loss of that production has a significant economic impact. According to the letter to Trump, each day a film shoots on location it spends more than $670,000, and employs nearly 1,500 people. On May 4, Trump declared on social media that "the movie industry in America is dying a very fast death." He said he had told the Department of Commerce and the Office of the US Trade Representative to levy a 100 per cent tariff "on any and all movies coming into our country that are produced in foreign lands." afp
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Unions and MPA Urge Trump to Back Hollywood Tax Deductions
A coalition of entertainment unions, joined by the Motion Picture Association, urged President Trump on Monday to support tax deductions that benefit the entertainment industry. The unions organized a joint letter to Trump, which was also signed by two of Trump's three 'special ambassadors' to the industry, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone. More from Variety Cannes' Thierry Fremaux on Trump's Tariff Plan, Resilience of American Film Culture: 'The United States Remains a Great Country for Cinema' Trump Film Tariffs Plan Prompts Appeal From Global Industry Organizations Ahead of Cannes Film Festival Trump Interrupts 'SNL' Mother's Day Message to Talk Chicago Pope and Trade Deals as Cecily Strong Returns as Wine-Guzzling Jeanine Pirro In the letter, the unions thanked the president 'for the support you have shown our industry,' and for drawing attention to the flight of production overseas. Last week, Trump announced a 100% tariff on 'any and all' movies produced in 'foreign lands,' in an effort to bring production jobs back to the U.S. The joint letter does not mention the tariff, nor does it propose a federal film subsidy — a politically complicated undertaking which does not yet appear to have bipartisan support. Instead, the letter focuses on three relatively small-bore measures, and asks Trump to support including them in the budget reconciliation package currently working its way through Congress. Those measures include an extension of Section 181, which speeds up the deduction of up to $15 million in production expenses. The unions want to double that cap to $30 million — or up to $40 million for production in low-income areas. The letter also seeks support for another deduction, Section 199, that expired in 2017. The deduction reduced corporate tax rates for certain forms of domestic manufacturing, including filmmaking. 'A domestic production incentive would make the U.S. market more competitive and able to retain and return high-paying jobs tied to film and television productions – and the use of this deduction has historically promoted significant economic and job growth,' the letter states. The union letter also seeks reauthorization of Section 461, which allowed companies to carry back their net operating losses for up to five years, thus using those losses to lower prior year tax bills. That provision was included in the COVID relief package, but expired in 2022. The letter argues it particularly helps film companies, which have very uneven income patterns. The letter was signed by the leaders of the Directors Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA, the Writers Guild of America, the Teamsters, Producers United, and the Motion Picture Association. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump's Movie Tariff Appeals to Some in Hollywood Who Lost Jobs to Foreign Subsidies
Dave Rand, a retired visual effects artist, had just nodded off on May 4 when his phone dinged. At first he couldn't believe it. He read that President Trump wanted a 100% tariff on movies produced overseas. 'I thought I was dreaming,' he says. And then he got to work. More from Variety Cannes President Iris Knobloch on Female Directors Gaining Ground, Festival's 'Netflix Rule,' Relationship With U.S. Industry and Trump's Proposed Tariffs on Foreign Films Italian Producer Andrea Iervolino Says He's Working With Trump 'Special Ambassador' Mel Gibson on U.S.-Italy Co-Production Treaty Amid Tariff Threats Unions and MPA Urge Trump to Back Hollywood Tax Deductions More than a decade ago, Rand organized VFX artists to protest Canadian subsidies, which were luring thousands of jobs abroad while bankrupting U.S. VFX houses. He and his friends wanted the government to fight back — not with more subsidies, but with tariffs. The campaign sputtered out, failing to persuade anyone in power. But suddenly, years later, the most powerful person in the world was calling attention to the plight of Hollywood workers, demanding that movies be 'MADE IN AMERICA, AGAIN,' and wielding a stick — not a carrot. 'He's gonna cut a fair deal,' Rand says. 'You're going to see a flow back to the U.S. It's going to be a little painful' — particularly, he says, for workers in other countries — 'but a lot of good is going to come in the long run.' Across Hollywood, Trump's tariff proposal was met with bafflement and horror. At the Motion Picture Association, studio leaders brainstormed ideas to redirect his attention. The unions thanked him for identifying the problem — without endorsing his solution. Rand is among the few who like where this is going. Now he's trying to engage with 'the powers that be' — actor Jon Voight and others — to lend boots-on-the-ground support. Rand isn't in Hollywood anymore. He once worked for Rhythm & Hues, the postproduction facility that won an Oscar in 2013 shortly after going bankrupt. (He is perhaps best known for hiring a plane to fly over the Oscar ceremony with a banner calling for a VFX union.) Six years ago, he moved back to his hometown of Millinocket, Maine, and a couple years after that he retired. A lifelong Democrat, he voted for Trump last fall due to the promise of tariffs. He also worked hard to get the president's attention. He sent postcards to those in Trump's orbit, highlighting the loss of VFX jobs and the need for action. Rand argues that the studios are at fault, and that giving them more taxpayer money is not the answer. 'They're using this subsidy thing like a shell game to keep us nomadic and weak,' he says. 'We're all for Trump doing what he's doing to defeat that.' Ever since Canada started attracting significant production volume in the late 1990s, Hollywood workers have been thinking about ways to fight back. In 2013, Daniel Lay, another former VFX artist, enlisted a law firm to brainstorm solutions. The firm, Picard Kentz & Rowe, represents the U.S. lumber industry in its battle against Canadian timber. The firm saw a parallel with VFX — a free-market U.S. industry forced to compete against unfair Canadian subsidies — and offered parallel solutions, notably a 'countervailing duty' on VFX files. In essence, a movie tariff. The problem was that, unlike the U.S. lumber industry, the film industry wanted no part of it. 'The studios liked the system where they get to benefit from subsidies on VFX,' says attorney David Yocis, who helped author the firm's report. 'Our feeling was most of these things wouldn't work, because the studios would have enough clout to make sure it didn't happen.' But just maybe — thanks to Trump — that's not an obstacle anymore. 'At least at the moment, it appears they're not worried about the studios' reaction,' Yocis says. Lay, who has since left the VFX industry, says he disagrees with '99.9% of everything Trump does.' But on this, they're aligned. Subsidies alone, he says, create a race to the bottom. 'You need a tariff to discipline the process.' When Rand grew up in Millinocket, it was a thriving mill town. But the paper mill closed because of foreign competition in 2008. When Rand moved back, he found boarded-up storefronts. He bought his house for $40,000. He worries a similar trend is unfolding in his industry. 'What I am for,' he says, 'is creating a level playing field.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
