Apr 17, 2015, 03:32 am
A powerful Hollywood lobby group has been working hand in glove with one of Australia's most outspoken voices against online piracy.
Hacked Sony Pictures emails published by WikiLeaks reveal that CreativeFuture, the US film industry's main anti-piracy lobby, regards Village Roadshow co-chairman Graham Burke as one of its champions, engaged in a critical fight for the future of the internet.
In an email sent in September 2014, CreativeFuture chief executive and Hollywood veteran Ruth Vitale wrote to alert US movie studios including Sony Pictures, 21st Century Fox, Disney, Viacom and Warner Brothers to "what is going on in Australia" where Burke "is at the centre" of campaigning against online piracy.
Ms Vitale specifically drew attention to Mr Burke's abrupt reversal of his decision to boycott a public forum on copyright infringement hosted by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull following the release of a government online piracy discussion paper including proposals to make internet service providers more accountable for their customers' unauthorised downloading. Mr Burke had said he would not attend the event because it would be dominated by "crazies" whose hidden agenda is the "theft of movies".
However he subsequently changed his mind and declared the event was "too important" to miss.
"I have been one of the most prominent people in the debate so I should be there," he told Fairfax Media.
The hacked Sony emails reveal that Mr Burke's decision came at the urging of CreativeFuture, with Ms Vitale briefing the Village Roadshow chief on the position of internet service providers including Google, Facebook and Microsoft.
"We have given him many of our talking points and are sharing tactics and thoughts," Ms Vitale wrote to US studios. "Just wanted to make you aware of Graham and his fight. Any thoughts or insights you might share, I know he will be happy to receive."
Mr Burke is well known for his passionate support for the Australian film industry and trenchant criticism of those he believes are complicit in the unauthorised downloading of movies and music.
Village Roadshow's submission to the federal government on copyright infringement declared that "the dangers posed by piracy are so great, the goal should be total eradication or zero tolerance."
"Just as there is no place on the internet for terrorism or paedophilia, there should be no place for theft that will impact the livelihoods of the 900,000 people whose security is protected by legitimate copyright."
Village Roadshow further accused internet service provider iiNet of acting as a "propaganda machine" by opposing efforts to tackle online piracy.
Village Roadshow's engagement in the piracy debate has also seen the company emerge as a significant political donor, contributing $227,500 to the Australian Labor Party and $329,919 to the Liberal Party in 2013-14, according figures published by the Australian Electoral Commission.
The hacked Sony emails reveal Mr Burke to be an enthusiastic supporter of Attorney-General George Brandis, telling Sony Pictures chief executive Michael Lynton that Senator Brandis had "laid down the gauntlet" to the internet service providers.
The emails also shed light on Village Roadshow's partnership with Sony Pictures, with Mr Burke extolling the tax credit advantages of making movies in Australia, telling Mr Lynton that "when you think on Gatsby we got a partner putting up 40 per cent of the budget and getting zero dollars in return it is pretty amazing."
Mr Burke's fellow Village Roadshow co-chairman, Robert Kirby, similarly enthused to Mr Lynton that "Quite apart from all the joyous $ incentives, the sheer historical profitability track-record of these big films produced here 'down under' has been ('touch wood') quite quite phenomenal!"
Australian government film production incentives include a 40 per cent tax rebate for feature films produced in Australia.
Mr Lynton replied to Mr Burke that "I completely get you on the subject of Australian tax credits and look forward to getting your guidance on this."
In publishing the 173,132 hacked Sony emails in a searchable database, WikiLeaks has highlighted the company's close involvement in lobbying on piracy, trade agreements and copyright issues, including exchanges with United States trade representative Michael Froman following WikiLeaks' publication in November 2013 of a secret of the Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) intellectual property (IP) chapter. Senior Sony executives thought the timing of the TPP leak "curious" and probably intended to "create political pressure for the [Obama] administration to soften the IP provisions."
Hacked Sony Pictures emails published by WikiLeaks reveal that CreativeFuture, the US film industry's main anti-piracy lobby, regards Village Roadshow co-chairman Graham Burke as one of its champions, engaged in a critical fight for the future of the internet.
In an email sent in September 2014, CreativeFuture chief executive and Hollywood veteran Ruth Vitale wrote to alert US movie studios including Sony Pictures, 21st Century Fox, Disney, Viacom and Warner Brothers to "what is going on in Australia" where Burke "is at the centre" of campaigning against online piracy.
Ms Vitale specifically drew attention to Mr Burke's abrupt reversal of his decision to boycott a public forum on copyright infringement hosted by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull following the release of a government online piracy discussion paper including proposals to make internet service providers more accountable for their customers' unauthorised downloading. Mr Burke had said he would not attend the event because it would be dominated by "crazies" whose hidden agenda is the "theft of movies".
However he subsequently changed his mind and declared the event was "too important" to miss.
"I have been one of the most prominent people in the debate so I should be there," he told Fairfax Media.
The hacked Sony emails reveal that Mr Burke's decision came at the urging of CreativeFuture, with Ms Vitale briefing the Village Roadshow chief on the position of internet service providers including Google, Facebook and Microsoft.
"We have given him many of our talking points and are sharing tactics and thoughts," Ms Vitale wrote to US studios. "Just wanted to make you aware of Graham and his fight. Any thoughts or insights you might share, I know he will be happy to receive."
Mr Burke is well known for his passionate support for the Australian film industry and trenchant criticism of those he believes are complicit in the unauthorised downloading of movies and music.
Village Roadshow's submission to the federal government on copyright infringement declared that "the dangers posed by piracy are so great, the goal should be total eradication or zero tolerance."
"Just as there is no place on the internet for terrorism or paedophilia, there should be no place for theft that will impact the livelihoods of the 900,000 people whose security is protected by legitimate copyright."
Village Roadshow further accused internet service provider iiNet of acting as a "propaganda machine" by opposing efforts to tackle online piracy.
Village Roadshow's engagement in the piracy debate has also seen the company emerge as a significant political donor, contributing $227,500 to the Australian Labor Party and $329,919 to the Liberal Party in 2013-14, according figures published by the Australian Electoral Commission.
The hacked Sony emails reveal Mr Burke to be an enthusiastic supporter of Attorney-General George Brandis, telling Sony Pictures chief executive Michael Lynton that Senator Brandis had "laid down the gauntlet" to the internet service providers.
The emails also shed light on Village Roadshow's partnership with Sony Pictures, with Mr Burke extolling the tax credit advantages of making movies in Australia, telling Mr Lynton that "when you think on Gatsby we got a partner putting up 40 per cent of the budget and getting zero dollars in return it is pretty amazing."
Mr Burke's fellow Village Roadshow co-chairman, Robert Kirby, similarly enthused to Mr Lynton that "Quite apart from all the joyous $ incentives, the sheer historical profitability track-record of these big films produced here 'down under' has been ('touch wood') quite quite phenomenal!"
Australian government film production incentives include a 40 per cent tax rebate for feature films produced in Australia.
Mr Lynton replied to Mr Burke that "I completely get you on the subject of Australian tax credits and look forward to getting your guidance on this."
In publishing the 173,132 hacked Sony emails in a searchable database, WikiLeaks has highlighted the company's close involvement in lobbying on piracy, trade agreements and copyright issues, including exchanges with United States trade representative Michael Froman following WikiLeaks' publication in November 2013 of a secret of the Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) intellectual property (IP) chapter. Senior Sony executives thought the timing of the TPP leak "curious" and probably intended to "create political pressure for the [Obama] administration to soften the IP provisions."