News

The RIAA today joined by other organizations representing America’s copyright industries in filing a petition under the “Special 301” provision of U.S. trade law. That law directs the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to identify barriers to effective copyright protection in global markets as well as other access barriers that unfairly limit opportunities for U.S. creators. Below is a comment from Neil Turkewitz, EVP, International:

“Developments in technology have transformed markets for music and other cultural materials, creating unprecedented opportunities to reach global consumers and fuel creativity and employment. Unfortunately, too much of this potential continues to be lost due to suffocating levels of theft and other unfair practices. This report details many of the inadequacies in key global markets that have hindered growth.

“Record labels remain confident that the problems undermining today’s marketplaces can be addressed to create tomorrow’s opportunities, but the time to act is now. We hope that this report will serve as a catalyst for governments around the world to meaningfully tackle the issues that prevent a flourishing online cultural marketplace from operating. Impediments to the development of vibrant legitimate online markets are not restricted to countries traditionally associated with failure to adequately protect intellectual property. While today’s report identifies barriers in markets like Ukraine, China and Russia, it also highlights problems in markets like Switzerland, Spain and Canada.

“We know that meaningful and practical steps can be taken. This will require governments to be creative, nimble and thoughtful in how they approach these issues. The only inexcusable act is to not try.”