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http://www.musicunited.org/press/2005/0126.html

January 26, 2005

Internet Piracy Hurts Individual Creators, Not Just "Industries," Say the Entertainment Unions

The following is a joint statement from the American Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, and the Writers Guild of America, west regarding today's filing in Supreme Court of a friend of the court brief in the Grokster case.

"Copyright infringement on the Internet harms individual actors, directors, musicians, vocalists and writers. Sound recordings, movies and television programs are the unique artistic creations of the individual performers who make them and those same performers depend upon income from legitimate distribution networks to earn their livings and continue creating.

"As consumers around the world are entering the digital age of instant access to music, movies and other media, the debate over access too often obscures the voice of the artist and creator. Nowhere has this absence been more evident than in the discussion of who is affected by P2P networks.

"Peer-to-peer piracy allows copyrighted works to be downloaded without the authorization or compensation of creators. In addition, an artist’s work - when distributed in an unprotected digital format through peer-to-peer networks - is easily altered and exploited, so that it no longer resembles what the actor, director, musician, vocalist or writer intended, yet is distributed under their names.

"If the work of creators is not protected, and is used around the world without just payment, it is very likely that, in the end, neither the creator nor the copyright holder will be able to continue to make this work available. The losers will not only be those artists whose talent and hard work is the creative heart on each screen, TV and Ipod; but also the very public that enjoys quality movies, music and television."

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS (AFM)
AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TELEVISION AND RADIO ARTISTS (AFTRA)
DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA (DGA)
SCREEN ACTORS GUILD OF AMERICA (SAG)
WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA, WEST (WGA)

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS (AFM)
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is the largest organization in the world dedicated to representing the interests of professional musicians. Whether it is negotiating fair agreements, protecting ownership of recorded music, securing benefits such as health care and pension, or lobbying our legislators the AFM is committed to raising industry standards and placing the professional musician in the foreground of the cultural landscape. For more information visit the website at www.afm.org.