Supporting the Protection of Jobs and Businesses Throughout the United States Threatened By the Global Problem of Online Theft
Adopted at the 78th Annual Meeting in 2010
WHEREAS, the motion pictures, television programs, and sound recordings created by the US entertainment industry are both an economic driver for the US economy and a cultural touchstone of our American heritage;
WHEREAS, in 2008 the motion picture and television industry was responsible for supporting 2.4 million jobs, over $140 billion in total wages and, $13.6 billion in audiovisual exports, making it one of the few American industries that consistently generates a positive balance of trade, in virtually every country in which it does business;
WHEREAS, the motion picture and television industry generated $15.7 billion in public revenues in 2008 and is comprised of 95,000 businesses located in every state in the country;
WHEREAS, film and television production takes place in all 50 states, creating jobs, fostering the building of a local infrastructure and studio facilities in a growing number of cities, supporting local businesses and serving as an economic engine that contributes $10 billion in state and local government revenues from income and sales and use taxes.
WHEREAS, American films and TV programs play a unique and critical role in our society as sources of both entertainment and information and are a major cultural and artistic force around the world;
WHEREAS, the motion picture and television industry derives the largest share of its revenue from the sale of its works on multiple platforms after their initial release, with roughly 70% of a motion picture's revenues coming after theatrical release and more than 50% of scripted television production revenues generated after the first run;
WHEREAS, the digital age which brings great promise and potential, also makes possible online theft of an entire movie or television production instantaneously, from anywhere in the world, accessible to anyone who has an Internet connection, thus threatening the secondary markets and revenue sources that make it possible for new films and television programs to be made;
WHEREAS, digital theft has become an illegal money-making business, increasingly connected to organized crime, costing the US economy $20.5 billion a year in total output and more than 141,030 jobs, depriving state and local governments of $837 million in tax revenue, and making consumers vulnerable to identity theft and other crimes, and, if permitted to grow unabated, will inevitably lead to less films and television productions being made in cities across the United States with a direct impact on the local revenue they generate; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the US Conference of Mayors support the efforts of the entertainment industry to combat, through a range of means, public and private, the online theft of motion pictures, television programs, sound recordings, and other intellectual property; BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the US Conference of Mayors commit to adopt and implement policies, procedures and ordinances that incorporate an Acceptable Use Policy on all city-owned computer networks, ensure the purchase of hardware and software that incorporates the latest content protection and anti-theft components, block illegal streaming and Peer-to-Peer applications and access to pirate sites from city-owned computers and inform city employees that illegal theft of intellectual property is not permitted. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the US Conference of Mayors call upon both the Obama Administration and Congress to develop workable solutions that, by protecting audiovisual works, protects the local jobs and revenues generated by film and television production in cities across America.