March 6, 2006


Save Jobs, Protect America’s Economy, Support Copyright Awareness Week

Dear ,

As representatives of this nation’s copyright industries, which together comprise an enormous engine of American economic growth and vitality, we are writing to make you aware of Copyright Awareness Week, a public service campaign addressing the importance of copyright and its role in fostering creativity and innovation, access to works of art, entertainment, and scholarship, and continued economic growth and job creation in the United States. The copyright industries—movies, television programming, music and sound recordings, books, magazines, photography, video games and software—contribute more to the American economy than any single manufacturing sector, generating more international revenues than automobiles and auto parts, aircraft, and agriculture, and accounting for more than five percent of the Nation’s GDP.

In the digital age, legitimate access to creative works is easier than it has ever been. Copyright has played a key part in making this possible and will continue to do so as new technologies open new avenues for delivering high quality copyrighted content to consumers. Unfortunately, illegal copying and redistribution of copyrighted works continues to grow and is becoming an accepted practice among too many in our society. There is a clear need for better education about the role of copyright in promoting creative expression and the harmful effects that flow from a disregard for the value of intellectual property. This is why the Copyright Assembly is actively supporting Copyright Awareness Week March 6-10. It is our hope that through this public affairs campaign students will become more appreciative of the efforts of creators and better understand how the laws protecting creative works make what they do possible.

America's copyright industries invest enormous resources in providing the public with the high quality programming, entertainment, and information products they demand. The ability of the copyright industries to continue to provide this high-quality content is directly dependent upon the ability to be justly compensated for these efforts in order to, in turn, devote those resources to further production of new creative works. To do otherwise threatens the jobs of over the 5 million Americans that depend upon the copyright industries for their livelihood.

We encourage you to help make educators and media in your state aware of this important effort. More information is available online at www.csusa.org.

Sincerely,

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ADVERTISING AGENCIES

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TELEVISION AND RADIO ARTISTS (AFTRA)

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS, AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS (ASCAP)

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MEDIA PHOTOGRAPHERS

ASSOCIATION OF AMERICAN PUBLISHERS

BROADCAST MUSIC, INC. (BMI)

COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS INTERNATIONAL

DEPARTMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO

DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA

ENTERTAINMENT SOFTWARE ASSOCIATION (ESA)

INDEPENDENT FILM AND TELEVISION ALLIANCE

MAGAZINE PUBLISHERS OF AMERICA

MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
NBC UNIVERSAL
PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION
SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION
THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY
WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

MTV NETWORKS

NATIONAL ACADEMY OF RECORDING ARTS AND SCIENCES, INC.

NATIONAL MUSIC PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION (NMPA)

PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA

PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHERS OF AMERICA

RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD

THE SONGWRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA

SOCIETY OF EVENT PHOTOGRAPHERS

STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP