MPAA chairman and CEO Chris Dodd stressed the continued need for a strong relationship between the U.S. and Chinese film industries to protect the rights of creators and battle piracy at the Shanghai Film Festival on Tuesday.
The former senator praised the growth of the Chinese film industry and the successful synchronicity with the country's giant Internet and technology companies in recent years at various speaking engagements.
Dodd later delivered a keynote speech at a roundtable discussion titled Cultural and Economic Importance of Film and the Role of Copyright. Introduced by the U.S. ambassador to China Max Baucus, Dodd said that copyright underpinned the ability of nations to develop and share their culture through film, however, he stressed that creative rights needed to be respected.
“Only when we have created an environment that promotes innovation and creativity while protecting creators in the digital world can we be certain that these remarkable industries will be able to continue to benefit our cultures and succeeding generations in the same ways that they have done for so long: culturally, socially, educationally, and economically. Working together I know that we will succeed,” said Dodd.