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Weapons of Mass Distribution Redux? - The White House Summit

By Howard Knopf, Esq.

While the environment evaporates in Copenhagen and the rights of the blind are being blindsided in Geneva, rest assured that intellectual property enforcement activity is alive and well in Washington, DC. Variety reports that:

Vice President Joseph Biden is leading a roundtable on Tuesday with Hollywood CEOs, music industry execs and legal experts in what is being billed as a first-of-its-kind discussion on piracy.

Everybody who's anybody in the US entertainment business will be there.

Lots of top government officials, including Attorney General Eric Holder, Homland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Commerce Secretary Gary Locke, FBI director Robert Mueller and Secret Service director Mark Sullivan.

Among the private sector, those present will include Sony's Michael Lynton, Warner Bros.' Barry Meyer, Viacom's Philippe Dauman, NBC Universal's Jeffrey Zucker, Warner Music Group's Edgar Bronfman, Harper Collins CEO Brian Murray, Universal Music Group's Zachary Horowitz, the MPAA's Dan Glickman, the RIAA's Mitch Bainwol, IATSE's international president Matthew Leob, AFTRA'S Kim Roberts Hedgepeth, DGA president Taylor Hackford, DGA exec director Jay Roth and SAG's David White.

Curiously, somehow, I dont' see anyone from EFF, Public Knowledge, or the Consumer Electronics Association on the White House list.

Would it be surprising if those present find "overwhelming' and "convincing" evidence - or words to that effect - of the existence of weapons of mass distribution in "rogue" nations such as Canada, or words to that effect?

HK

Full post as published by Excess Copyright on December 14, 2009 (boomark / email).