Intellectual Property Rights

The right of intellectual property is defined as "any right existing that is recognized under, inter alia, patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret or mask work regimes" (Lackert 162). An estimated $40 billion is earned from foreign sales of United States copyrighted products each year. The audiovisual industry, comprised of motion pictures, videocassettes, music and related products, represents the second greatest export for the United States. Advanced technological innovations and global distribution networks have enabled American culture to transcend international borders. In fact, most major motion picture studios reaped higher foreign box office growth than domestic in 1993. Currently, 40 percent of the motion picture industry revenues come from abroad (Levinson 205). Revenue potential for audiovisual works is jeopardized, however, by trade barriers imposed by foreign countries that desire protection against saturation by American products.

It is clearly in the interest of the United States to obtain prompt and full compliance with international agreement that secure intellectual property rights, most notably the agreement named the Trad

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ories around the world (D'Allesandro 418). Copyrights and trademarks protect audiovisual works from infringement or unauthorized copying by others. The audiovisual industry relies heavily on protections against illegal practices to fully exploit the works themselves. Although the United States has established an effective domestic system of protection, other nations often refuse or fail to enforce similar laws (Cooter and Ulen 128-130). The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is a movie industry association organized to promote the international dissemination of American films and to upgrade imported films. The Motion Picture Export Association of America is the international counterpart of the MPAA. It was formed in 1945 by MPAA companies to respond to the rising trade of protectionism resulting in barriers against the importation of American films into other countries. Two major obstacles affect the ability of American audiovisual producers to maximize their profit potential in worldwide markets: piracy and trade barriers imposed because of threatened cultural identities. According to Black's Law Dictionary, piracy is "the unlawful reproduction or distribution of property protected by patent and trademark laws."
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Approximate Word count = 3248
Approximate Pages = 13 (250 words per page)

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