Hostile Signals: How Rightsholders Are Reviving the Piracy-Terrorism Nexus to Push for U.S. Site-Blocking Legislation

Executive Overview For nearly three decades, rightsholders, industry associations, and anti-piracy advocacy groups have attempted to forge a rhetorical and operational link between digital copyright infringement and transnational organized crime, drug trafficking, and terrorism. What began in the late 1990s as an effort by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) to curb cross-border…

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US Lawmaker Darrell Issa Introduces Fresh Site-Blocking Legislation, Reviving Contentious Debate Over Digital Piracy

Executive Overview U.S. Representative Darrell Issa has officially introduced a new legislative proposal into the House of Representatives aimed squarely at curbing digital piracy by blocking foreign copyright-infringing websites within the United States. Filed under Congressional record H.R. 10364, the measure is broadly intended to establish formal judicial procedures enabling rightsholders to choke off access…

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Reviving the Heart of Hollywood: Ryan Murphy on "The Shards," L.A. Production, and Industry Consolidation

Executive Overview As the entertainment industry continues to navigate a labyrinth of economic shifts, shifting audience demographics, and sweeping corporate consolidation, powerhouse showrunner Ryan Murphy is taking a firm, unyielding stand for the geographic soul of American filmmaking. At the New York premiere of FX’s highly anticipated adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s thriller novel, The…

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