Change in MPAA Leadership May Shift Its Copyright Tactics
MPAA CEO Chris Dodd’s planned departure later this year is unlikely to shift the association’s role in copyright policy lobbying, but may lead to changes in tactics, executives and lobbyists told us. MPAA said Friday evening that Dodd, who has led the industry group since 2011, will depart as CEO Sept. 4 and as chairman at the end of the year (see 1704280066). MPAA’s board met Saturday to officially choose former Obama administration Assistant Secretary of State-Economic and Business Affairs Charles Rivkin as Dodd’s successor, a spokesman said. Dodd is a former Democratic senator from Connecticut.
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It’s unclear why Dodd plans to leave MPAA this year, ahead of the 2018 expiration of his contract, although it's possible Dodd agreed to extend his original five-year contract with the association to give them time to quietly search for a successor, an industry lobbyist said. Dodd’s tenure was marked early by his role in the debate over the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) anti-piracy bills (see reports in the Dec. 14, 2011, Jan. 23, 2012, and April 13, 2012, issues of this publication). Dodd faced criticism over MPAA’s response to the 2014 North Korea-led data breach against member Sony Pictures Entertainment and after the related release of emails in which MPAA and its member movie studios discussed ways to combat piracy after the demise of SOPA and PIPA (see 1412170050 and 1412180056).
Dodd had a mixed tenure that raised some studio executives’ eyebrows amid perceptions the industry group wasn't as dominating a force during the period of rising clout of major internet companies like Facebook and Google, a lobbyist said. Another entertainment lobbyist said his organization's clients didn’t have “any problems” with Dodd’s performance. Another noted Dodd’s role behind the scenes in pushing for the House Judiciary Committee to move forward with legislation stemming from its copyright law review. The House passed the committee leaders’ Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act (HR-1695) last week. The bill, which must still clear the Senate, would make the register a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed position with a 10-year term (see 1703230068 and 1704260062). MPAA members praised Dodd’s emphasis on combatting online piracy, in the group’s statement announcing his retirement.
Rivkin will join with a lower public profile than Dodd and past MPAA heads Dan Glickman and Jack Valenti, several lobbyists said. His role at the State Department, including an earlier posting as U.S. ambassador to France, will be an asset to MPAA if the group wants to continue to deal with global online piracy issues, a lobbyist said. Rivkin also joins MPAA with prior experience in the entertainment industry as CEO of Jim Henson Co. and W!ldBrain. That industry presence likely reassured MPAA members before Rivkin’s selection, another industry lobbyist said.
Rivkin is unlikely to steer MPAA away from its existing copyright policy priorities, which at this point are “institutional,” an executive said. The priorities are likely to continue to include combatting piracy, though it “will be interesting to see” whether Rivkin chooses to shift MPAA’s anti-piracy tactics, an industry lobbyist said. MPAA has focused on “private negotiations” aimed at combatting piracy post-SOPA, the lobbyist said. Rivkin is likely to begin his tenure with a focus on anti-piracy policies and other industry priorities involving China, though his State experience may also signal interest in policy priorities in the EU and elsewhere, another lobbyist said. Rivkin will also need to focus on how MPAA caters to the distinct policy interests of the group’s member studios, a lobbyist said.