The RIAA and Congressional members of the International Anti-Piracy Caucus (IAPC) today revealed their list of countries and websites that are threats to intellectual property.
The countries with “inadequate intellectual property protections” are China, Russia, Mexico, Canada and Spain. And, not surprising, the sites that are “priorities” are China’s Baidu, Canada’s IsoHunt, Ukraine’s mp3fiesta, Germany’s RapidShare, Luxembourg’s RMX4U.com and Sweden’s The Pirate Bay.
From the release: “These websites and services are primarily used for the illegal exchange of copyrighted works, undercutting the ability of legitimate services to compete and thrive in the global marketplace, and displacing thousands of jobs that rely on the global protection of copyright. One study commissioned by the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) concluded that more than 11 million workers are employed by copyright-related industries in the United States.
“The release of this report casts a damning spotlight once again on several nations with lax copyright protections and websites that brazenly traffic in copyright theft,” said Mitch Bainwol, Chairman and CEO, RIAA. “I’m particularly struck by the IAPC decision to identify significant global websites that facilitate massive theft; theft that destroys jobs and cuts short the dreams of creators who find it more difficult to attract the capital they need to build their careers.
The National Music Publisher’s Association’s statement:
“Music publishers and songwriters applaud the efforts of the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus to combat the international theft of US intellectual property by calling attention to countries that continue to host the worst cyber piracy in the world, NMPA president and CEO David Israelite said in a statement. “Additionally we appreciate their highlighting some of the most notorious and destructive sites on the web that promote this theft. The music industry has felt acutely the impact of these sites and looks forward to continuing to work with the Caucus to ensure that the Internet can become a place where the rule of law prevails, protecting and fostering the growth of the American songbook for generations to come.”