Star India, Amazon, AMC Networks, BBC Worldwide, Netflix and The Walt Disney Company are among the members of the newly formed Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE), aimed at protecting the legal market for creative content and reducing online piracy.
The ACE consists of 30 content creators from across the digital ecosystem. The worldwide members include Bell Canada and Bell Media, Canal+ Group, CBS Corporation, Constantin Film, Foxtel, GrupoGlobo, HBO, Hulu, Lionsgate, MGM, Millennium Media, NBCUniversal, Paramount Pictures, SF Studios, Sky, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Star India, Studio Babelsberg, STX Entertainment, Telemundo, Televisa, Twentieth Century Fox, Univision Communications, Village Roadshow and Warner Bros. Entertainment.
With the combined efforts from these global creative companies producing all forms of content, ACE will expand ongoing, cooperative efforts to reduce the prevalence of online piracy. ACE will tap into the global antipiracy resources of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The coalition will conduct research, work closely with law enforcement to curb illegal pirate enterprises, file civil litigation, form cooperative relationships with existing national content protection organizations, and pursue voluntary agreements with responsible parties across the internet.
Senator Chris Dodd, the chairman and CEO of MPAA, said: “Global piracy is not just a concern for one studio or creator, it undermines the foundation of the entire global entertainment sector. Meeting the challenges ahead will require more voices, greater collaboration, new ideas, and increased resources. ACE, with its broad coalition of creators from around the world, is designed, specifically, to leverage the best possible resources to reduce piracy. For decades, the MPAA has been the gold standard for antipiracy enforcement. We are proud to provide the MPAA’s worldwide antipiracy resources and the deep expertise of our antipiracy unit to support ACE and all its initiatives.”
Martyn Freeman, general counsel at BBC Worldwide, added: “BBC Worldwide invests in, commercializes, and showcases content from the BBC around the world and champions British creativity globally. It is the lifeblood of our business and we must ensure that we do all we can to secure and protect it from theft and illegal distribution. The ACE initiative is hugely important at a time when content consumption habits are rapidly shifting and methods of piracy are becoming more and more sophisticated.”
Jean-Christophe Thiery, CEO of Canal+ Group, commented: “Creativity has been part of Canal+ Group’s DNA ever since the beginning. We have always encouraged it, and are proud to support many artists and new talents. Fortunately, we are living at a time when creativity is rich. But, in the meantime, it has never been so threatened by piracy, which is getting more and more organized, complex, and global. To face these new challenges, our industry must adapt its response and find a way to address issues that cannot be effectively handled at the local or regional level. In that respect, Canal+ Group is proud to be part of the ACE launch, an unprecedented worldwide coalition with significant resources. We believe it will be a key asset to strengthen our efforts to protect creativity.”
David Hyman, general counsel at Netflix, said: “While we’re focused on providing a great consumer experience that ultimately discourages piracy, there are still bad players around the world trying to profit off the hard work of others. By joining ACE, we will work together, share knowledge, and leverage the group’s combined anti-piracy resources to address the global online piracy problem.”
