The Motion Picture Association of America, the lobbying and PR giant for the U.S. film industry, has tapped commercial law firm Becker & Poliakoff to tackle copyright issues on Capitol Hill.
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The trade group representing Hollywood’s six major film studios hired Becker & Poliakoff to discuss copyright policy as it relates to streaming piracy devices and applications, as well as the economic impacts piracy has on the film industry, according to lobbying registration documents filed with Congress in September.
Copyright infringement and intellectual property theft via online piracy networks and torrent sites have risen as a major challenge and subsequent concern for the trade group in recent years.
Last year, a federal judge granted the MPAA’s request to shut down the operation of several piracy sites as part of a civil suit over copyright infringement. The trade group also last year announced the formation of the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment, a coalition of 30 entertainment and content companies dedicated to pooling its resources to reduce online piracy.
A two-person team leads the MPAA account: Bert Gómez, a former senior vice president of government relations for Univision who served as the Spanish-language broadcaster’s chief lobbyist in Washington, D.C.; and Omar Franco, who was chief of staff for Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL).
Fort Lauderdale-headquartered Becker & Poliakoff was founded in 1973.
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