The death of awards?

elektro80 · Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2003 1:10 pm Post subject: The death of awards?

Piracy is bad these days.

Washinton Post:

"The president of the Motion Picture Association of America told a
judge Wednesday that a ban on distributing DVD copies of new movies to
awards groups was necessary to fight piracy."

elektro80 · Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2003 1:12 pm Post subject:

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-et-screeners6dec06,1,6107599.story

NEW YORK - A federal judge on Friday restored one of Hollywood's most
cherished perks - the awards season movie "screener" - as he dealt a sharp
setback to the major motion picture studios and their chief lobbyist, Jack
Valenti.

But he found the MPAA, the trade organization representing the major
studios, guilty of "anti-competitive conduct" and "unreasonable restraint of
trade" under federal antitrust laws.

Valenti's own testimony was cited by the judge as undermining the studios'
argument.

When he took the witness stand Wednesday, Valenti argued that it was
essential to have an industrywide policy on screeners and not to let the
studios decide individually. The problem was their extreme competitiveness -
if one or two started sending out screeners, "everybody would follow suit,"
Valenti testified, "to get a momentary advantage."

On Friday, though, the judge said that explanation backed up one of the
independent producers' contentions - that screeners in fact can make a
difference in contests. Mukasey said the studio bosses who couldn't resist
joining the pack would be making a reasoned decision that sending out award
screeners would be worth the piracy risk.