Motion+Picture+Association+of+America+(MPAA)


 * **Who are they?**
 * Founded in 1922, the MPAA is a US **non-profit trade organization**. They administer the voluntary but dominant [|MPAA film rating system].
 * **What do they do?**
 * After film screening, their personal opinions help to conclude to one of five film ratings.
 * Cinema owners agree to use the film rating as determined by the MPAA. This in turn gives the owners access to new film releases.
 * The MPAA ratings are:
 * G (general)
 * PG (parental guidance suggested)
 * PG-13 (parental guidance suggested under the age of 13)
 * R (not suitable for children under 17/restricted)
 * NC-17 (children 17 and under are not admitted)
 * The MPAA also fight against the sharing of copyrighted works via P2P file-sharing networks.
 * They have an anti-piracy campaign, which has gained much publicity and criticism.
 * **Copyright Information**
 * Copyright laws protect the rights of people who create movies, TV shows, artwork and other products. They do this by giving the creator with exclusive rights to sell, license or otherwise use their creative works.
 * **Anti-Piracy Efforts**
 * **Publicity campaigns:** The MPAA has promoted many publicity campaigns created to increase public awareness about piracy around the world.
 * **You Wouldn't Steal a Car:** An advertisement created by the MPAA appearing before films on many DVDs.media type="youtube" key="GH5LPqp9Irs" height="390" width="480"
 * **Stop Piracy in NYC**
 * media type="youtube" key="EUABOIe5SWo" height="312" width="511"
 * **Camcorder Laws**
 * Illegal recordings of movies in cinemas are the largest source of pirated movies, which are sold on the streets and distributed on the Internet.
 * In the USA, cam-cording is a federal felony. The majority of the US states have anti-camcording laws to further protect creative works.

**Related Links:**
 * [|CNN | MPAA shuts down 50+ torrent sites]