MPA LAUNCHES BILLBOARD IN BEIJING’S SILK MARKET WITH A MESSAGE FROM JACKIE CHAN PROMOTING IP RESPECT
100 Square Meter Billboard Will Speak to Over 20 Million People Over A Two Week Period
Hong Kong / Beijing - The Motion Picture Association (MPA), in partnership with the Beijing Silk Street Co., Ltd. and Chaoyang Model Anti-Copyright Infringement and Piracy-Free Zone, today launched a billboard featuring a personal message from Hong Kong movie star Jackie Chan promoting respect for IPR - “Protect movies, say No to piracy!”
The billboard was launched at a ceremony this morning featuring speeches by Eugene Yu, General Manager and Chief Representative of the MPA, Wang Zili, General Manager of Beijing Silk Street Co., Ltd., a senior official from the Beijing Chaoyang District, and Jim Ruderman, Vice President of Communications of AmCham-China.
The poster is over 100 sq. m in size (measuring 7.7 m x 14.1 m) and will be displayed continuously for two weeks in one of the busiest spots in the District, spreading its message to over 20 million people.
“Jackie Chan’s message to Beijing’s citizens is direct and simple – say NO! to piracy. By doing so, you are nurturing and protecting China’s movie industry which then will be free to reach out and tell compelling, exciting Chinese stories to people around the world” said Mike Ellis, President and Managing Director, Asia-Pacific, Motion Picture Association.
“In a market where piracy is still a major problem, the need to encourage the Chinese public to value the movies that they love is crucial. This billboard is an excellent way to reach out to them. We thank the Beijing Silk Street Co. Ltd and the Chaoyang Model Anti-Copyright Infringement and Piracy-Free Zone for supporting this initiative.”
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Piracy in Asia
A comprehensive study aimed at producing a more accurate picture of the impact that piracy has on the film industry including, for the first time, losses due to internet piracy, recently calculated that the MPA studios lost US$6.1 billion to worldwide piracy in 2005. About US$2.4 billion was lost to bootlegging*, US$1.4 billion to illegal copying* and US$2.3 billion to Internet piracy. Of the US$6.1 billion in lost revenue to the studios, approximate US$1.2 billion came from piracy across the Asia-Pacific region, while piracy in the U.S. accounted for US$1.3 billion.
In 2007, the MPA’s operations in the Asia-Pacific region investigated more than 36,200 cases of piracy and assisted law enforcement officials in conducting nearly 13,000 raids. These activities resulted in the seizure of more than 31 million illegal optical discs, 40 factory optical disc production lines and 6,400 optical disc burners, as well as the initiation of more than 10,000 legal actions.
*Bootlegging: Obtaining movies by either purchasing an illegally copied VHS/DVD/VCD or acquiring hard copies of bootleg movies. *Illegal copying: Making illegal copies for self or receiving illegal copies from friends of a legitimate VHS/DVD/VCD. *Internet piracy: Obtaining movies by either downloading them from the Internet without paying or acquiring hard copies of illegally downloaded movies from friends or family. About the MPA: The Motion Picture Association and Motion Picture Association - International (MPA) represent the interests of major motion picture companies in the global marketplace. On behalf of its member companies, the MPA conducts investigations around the world, assists with the criminal and civil litigation generated by such cases, and conducts education outreach programs to teach movie fans around the world about the harmful effects of piracy. The MPA directs its worldwide anti-piracy operations from its headquarters based in Los Angeles, California and has regional offices located in Brussels (Europe, Middle East and Africa), São Paulo (Latin America), Montreal (Canada) and Singapore (Asia-Pacific). The MPA’s anti-piracy activities have helped to transform entire markets from pirate to legitimate, benefiting video distributors, retailers, and foreign and local filmmakers alike. The MPA member companies include: Buena Vista International, Inc.; Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Releasing International Corporation; Twentieth Century Fox International Corporation; Universal International Films, Inc.; and Warner Bros. Pictures International, a division of Warner Bros. Pictures Inc. For more information about the MPA, please visit www.mpa-i.org. |
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For more information, contact:
Mike Ellis
MPA Asia-Pacific
65-6253-1033
Margaret Fu
MPA Asia-Pacific
852-2785-8677