MPAA

Arguably the most influential professional association in the film industry today is the Motion Picture Association of America along with their global counterpart the Motion Picture Association. The MPAA was founded in 1922 by leaders of some of the major motion picture studios of that time including Metro-Goldwyn and First National and was made to advance the business interest of its members as well as safeguard film’s role in mainstream America. A voluntary custom used to rate movies and the most recognizable guide in America and its territories is the MPAA film rating system. Initially implemented by the General William Hays in 1934 and later altered by Jack Valenti once he became the president of MPAA in 1966, the known movies ratings today are G, PG-13, R, and NC – 17. With the big transformation to film industry has undergone in the past decade and the rising problem of peer to peer sharing and copyright infringement, MPAA has also done it’s part and did an anti-piracy campaign. They boosted awareness about piracy and publicized advertisements that appeared before content on many DVD’s. They also took legal action against file sharing sites like major servers Razorback2 and Pirate Bay. Their actions eventually and successfully shutdown some peer sites, including but when one site gets shutdown at least five more show up. Although their efforts against piracy have been limited, MPAA’s war against piracy has yet to cease. In 2006 alone they shut down 75 networks of pirated material. MPAA has grown to have many members and six of their members are big and very recognizable studios in film and television today that are Walt Disney Motion Pictures, Sony Entertainment, Paramount Pictures, 20^th Century Fox, Universal Studios, and Warner Bros. The impact and influence the MPAA has had on the film industry has greatly effected its entirety with film ratings, their stand against piracy and most importantly, I think, the content and movies they create and distribute. With the power and members that they have, there’s no doubt they’ll be around as long as film is a constant in entertainment and media.

Motion Picture Association of America (2011). MPAA History. Retrieved from http://www.mpaa.org/about/history

Gomery, D., (2000). Motion Picture Association of America. Retrieved from http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=motionpictur

Sandoval, G., (2009, October 16). MPAA: Antipiracy is now 'content protection'. Retrieved from http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-10376839-261.html

Film Ratings (2011). Voluntary Movie Rating System. Retrieved from http://www.filmratings.com/filmRatings_Cara/#/about/