MPAA is an acronym for Motion Picture Association of America, which was originally titled the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association of America. It is an organization to which many of the major movie producing studios belong, including Buena Vista, Sony, Paramount, Fox, Warner Brothers, and Universal. The principle work of the organization is to control distribution of movies, work to combat illegal copying of films, and to administer film ratings.

The MPAA was founded in 1922, and the first president of the nonprofit trade association was former Postmaster General, Will H. Hays. Under his leadership, Hays created the Production Code, a group of standards that had to be met for a film to be considered appropriate material for a general audience. Some films prior to the advent of the code were downright racy, and inspired the wrath of many organizations across the country, including numerous religious groups. The code was abandoned in 1967 and replaced with the MPAA rating system, which has undergone numerous changes since it was first adopted.

The longest serving president of the trade association was Jack Valenti, who held the position from 1966-2004. Valenti is credited with most of the association’s changes that have occurred over time. He developed the rating system, and later revamped it to its current incarnation. He also saw the potential profit loss that might occur to film studios if files were shared on the Internet, and very successfully lobbied for the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which makes illegal various forms of copyright infringement via digital means.

Recognizing the significant impact and harm piracy has on copyright dependent industries like magazines, movies, music, and clothing, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) is once again pursuing legislation – supported by MPA – aimed at addressing the impact “rogue” sites are having on business within those industries. With the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA) failing to advance in the 110th Congress, in May, Chairman Leahy introduced an updated version of COICA, known as the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA). Like COICA, PIPA would empower the Attorney General to seek a court order to shut down the domain name of a foreign infringing site that is “dedicated to” or has “no significant use” beyond copyright or trademark infringement. It also authorizes the Attorney General to direct U.S. based third-parties, including Internet Service Providers, payment processers, online advertising network providers, and search engines to take appropriate action to either prevent access to the site, or cease doing business with it. While providing immunity to websites that sold a product that turned out to be counterfeit, PIPA would allow a copyright or trademark holder to ask a judge to compel internet advertising agencies and financial services firms (i.e. MasterCard) to discontinue processing payments or providing services to the rogue sites. The bill unanimously passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee in late May.

What is MPA-PAC?
MPA-PAC is the Magazine Publishers of America Political Action Committee. Its purpose is to raise money from the MPA community and make contributions to political committees and federal candidates for elected office. MPA-PAC is part of MPA’s government affairs program, which includes its day-to-day lobbying on Capitol Hill by MPA professional staff.

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What is MPA-PAC?
MPA-PAC is the Magazine Publishers of America Political Action Committee. Its purpose is to raise money from the MPA community and make contributions to political committees and federal candidates for elected office. MPA-PAC is part of MPA’s government affairs program, which includes its day-to-day lobbying on Capitol Hill by MPA professional staff.

Who is eligible to contribute to MPA-PAC?
Federal election laws prohibit candidates for federal office from receiving corporate campaign contributions. Therefore, PACs which contribute to candidates for federal office must not accept contributions from corporations. Contributions to MPA-PAC may only be solicited from the executives and administrative personnel (and their families) of MPA member companies (a term in federal election law known as the “restricted class”). The donations must be solicited only from this restricted class of individuals rather than the corporations.

Perhaps the most important political tool available to corporations is the least understood and most underused. A corporation may use corporate treasury funds to communicate with its so-called restricted class of employees and shareholders "on any subject." The FEC's regulations explicitly allow communications expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified federal candidate. In other words, a corporation may:

attempt to persuade members of its restricted class to vote for or contribute to particular candidates,
(subject to certain restrictions) invite preferred candidates to appear in person before its restricted class to receive the corporation's endorsement and to seek votes, volunteers, and contributions, and operate telephone banks for the purpose of urging members of the restricted class to register and get out to vote for (oragainst) particular candidates.

Maybe I should not have assumed that people would see that I was being sarcastic about the DVD's... my bad.