TMT with Mike O'Rielly - Ep 4: The Biden USTR & Impact on American Companies

Episode 4 of the "TMT With Mike O'Rielly" videocast was released on June 12. The TMT vidcast, available online, features former FCC Commissioner and Free State Foundation Adjunct Senior Fellow Michael O'Rielly. The episode is titled "The Biden USTR & Impact on American Companies." It showcaes a conversation with Ed Brzytwa, Vice President, International Trade with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), on the technology sector, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, trade policy, foreign trade agreements, cross-border data flows, tariffs, and policy change. 

Senate Passes the USMCA

On January 16, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 5430, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act. The Senate deserves credit for promptly approving the USMCA following its passage in the House of Representatives in December 2019. The USMCA includes several provisions that will help strengthen Americans' copyrights in those neighboring nations. H.R. 5430 has been transmitted to President Trump for signature. 

Free State Foundation President Randolph May and I described the pro-copyright provisions contained in the USMCA and recommended its passage. My April 2019 Perspectives from FSF Scholarspaper, "Trade Agreements Should Include Stronger Online Copyright Protections" and my similarly-titled October 2019 Perspectivespaper, "Trade Agreements Should Strengthen Copyright Protections Against Piracy" also discussed the USMCA's pro-copyright features.

MPA on USMCA: Facilitates Growth

The statement below from Charles Rivkin, the head of the Motion Picture Association, is important, and especially for what it says about the size of the exports by US film, television, and streaming businesses. $17.2 billion annually is a lot of money that translates into a lot of jobs. I can't vouch for the number, but assuming as I do that it is fairly accurate, the case for taking actions to reduce piracy is self-evident! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJanuary 16, 2020

Statement from Charles Rivkin on USMCA Passage in the Senate     

WASHINGTON  -- The United States Senate today passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The trade bill now heads to the President’s desk for signature.

The following is a statement from Motion Picture Association Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin:

“The Motion Picture Association applauds the Senate for passing the USMCA today. Currently, the U.S. film, television, and streaming content industry accounts for $17.2 billion annually in exports and registers a positive trade balance with nearly every country in the world. The USMCA will help the future of our industry look brighter, particularly in Mexico. This deal includes provisions that facilitate the growth of the legal, digital market for creative content while improving tools to address the threat of online piracy, which costs the industry up to $71 billion of revenue lost annually. Future trade deals should account for the constantly changing digital landscape, and we look forward to working with the Administration to build on USMCA and further improve protections for our creative economy. I would like to thank the President, Ambassador Lighthizer, Leader McConnell and Speaker Pelosi for their leadership for passing this important trade agreement.”

House of Representatives Passes the USMCA

On December 19, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5430, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act. The House should be commended for its approval of the USMCA, which contains many provisions that will help strengthen Americans' copyrights in those neighboring nations. 

Free State Foundation President Randolph May and I have previously described the pro-copyright merits of the USMCA and called on Congress to pass it. As I explained in my April 2019 Perspectives from FSF Scholars paper, "Trade Agreements Should Include Stronger Online Copyright Protections":

By negotiating for stronger copyright protections and enforcement in international trade agreements, the U.S. can help curb the significant economic losses sustained by American copyright owners. The proposed USMCA, signed by President Trump in October 2018, and likely to be voted on by Congress this year, includes many provisions that would modernize and strengthen protections for Americans' copyrighted works in Canada and Mexico. For instance, under the USMCA, each member nation would be required to secure copyright owners' full enjoyment of exclusive rights in sound recordings and public performances. Each nation would guarantee contractual liberty so that copyright owners can transfer their rights for full value. Also, each nation would make available stronger remedies in civil copyright infringement cases, including injunctive relief as well as statutory damages. And each nation would authorize their border officials to pursue, seize, and destroy pirated goods. 

For more, see my similarly-titled October 2019 Perspectives paper, "Trade Agreements Should Strengthen Copyright Protections Against Piracy," which touches on the importance of the USMCA and other pro-copyright trade agreements in the context of the current problem of online piracy of movies and TV content. 

Hopefully, the Senate will promptly take up and pass the USMCA in early 2020.