Two internal memos from the Motion Picture Association of America have been leaked and published on the blog Torrentfreak, outlining just how far the MPAA is willing to go to win the public debate on movie piracy.
In the memos, both dated July 19, the MPAA outlines how its members should handle discussions with reporters, including a list of questions that journalists may ask in an interview and suggested answers. A second memo urges members to "seek allies and third parties" who can explain its position to the public.
To read the memos in their entirety, click here.
The memos come after the criminal prosecution of U.K. citizen Richard O'Dwyer, the founder of search engine TVShack, who could soon be extradited to the U.S. to be tried for copyright infringement.
The 24-year-old, whose case was brought into the limelight when Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales denounced the U.K. Home Office's decision to extradite him, currently faces up to five years in jail.
The MPAA writes that the brains behind TV-Shack is not just “a regular college student who likes playing with computers,” rather, he's a criminal who should be punished—and Wales should mind his own business.
Here are some of the juicier quotes from the MPAA's internal positioning paper:
- We think it’s presumptuous of Mr. Wales to claim to speak for the “general public.”
- This case isn’t about Internet freedom. It’s about a man profiting from theft.
- Being 24, posing for newspaper photo shoots in a cartoon sweatshirt, and having your mother and Jimmy Wales speak for you, does not mean you are incapable [of] breaking the law.
