Motion Picture spent $370,000 to lobby federal government in 1st qtr on blocking TV recording

MPAA spent $370,000 to lobby US government in 1Q

WASHINGTON — The Motion Picture Association of America spent $370,000 in the first quarter to lobby the federal government on the ability to block recording devices when new-release movies are sent to homes and other issues, according to a disclosure report.

That’s down from the $450,000 that the association spent in the year-ago period, and less than the $440,000 it spent in the fourth quarter of 2009. The MPAA also lobbied the federal government on movie piracy and the impact of film productions on local economies, according to the report filed on April 20.

In the January-to-March period, the MPAA lobbied Congress, the Commerce Department, the president and vice president and other bodies, according to the report filed with the House clerk’s office.

The MPAA represents the major Hollywood studios, including those belonging to The Walt Disney Co., News Corp., Time Warner Inc. and others.

The FCC in early May ruled in favor of allowing Hollywood to use so-called “selectable output control” to prevent illegal copying when sending new release movies to sets in pay-per-view transactions.

Critics worry 20 million Americans with older TV sets won’t be able to get these new-release movies, and it could interfere with legal recordings on some devices.