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Screen Actors Guild Members Vote to Accept Video Game Contract

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on July 29, 2005 - 7:05am.
Los Angeles -- Actor members of Hollywood's Screen Actors Guild (SAG) have voted to approve a new contract covering their appearances in video games, the group announced on Friday. SAG members voted 81% in favor of the contract; a previous member vote approving the contract was nullified by an overriding vote by SAG's national executive committee. The new contract provides higher wages and more comprehensive benefits for video game actors, but denies their demands for residual payments based on game sales. A similar contract was approved in June by another actors' union, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). "By voting for this contract, SAG members have achieved major gains despite the fact that we were not able to win in the area of residuals," said Screen Actors Guild chief negotiator Sallie Weaver. "The interactive market is of vital importance to our membership, and SAG will spend the next three-and-a-half years devoting resources to further organize this exploding industry so that we can return to the bargaining table with renewed strength and vigor."
tags: Screen Actors Guild | Vote | Video Game Contract | Accept |

Actors' Unions to Vote on Strike Over Video Game Payments

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on May 25, 2005 - 6:30am.
Los Angeles -- The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), two unions that represent actors in labor negotiations, announced that they have asked their members to vote on whether to strike against the video game industry. Actors believe they should be compensated in accordance with game sales, in addition to lump sum advance payments, for the use of their voices and likenesses in video games. Negotiations between video game publishers and actors recently broke down, following the expiration of existing contracts in December. Members of the actors' unions picketed outside the video game industry's E3 Expo last week in Los Angeles. Under union rules, 75% of SAG members and two-thirds of AFTRA members must vote in favor to authorize a strike; results of the votes are expected on June 7.
tags: Payments | Video Game | Vote | Strike | Actors' Unions |

Congress May Vote on Combined Anti-Piracy Copyright Bills

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 16, 2004 - 5:18am.
Washington -- Lobbyists for the entertainment industry are asking Congress to approve a controversial bill that combines several anti-piracy and Internet copyright bills into one during a lame-duck session this week. The Senate may vote this week on the Intellectual Property Protection Act (HR 2391), which combines the Piracy Deterrence and Education Act and PIRATE Act. The bill would, among other things, for the first time allow the Justice Dept. to seek civil damages against file-swappers, as well as five-year prison terms for those offering 1,000 or more unauthorized songs for download. The bill would also provide three-year jail terms for those who bring camcorders into movie theaters and pirate a film to distribute it online. "It's not like these bills came out of nowhere. All of these bills had been passed by one house or another," David Green, the Motion Picture Association's vice president for technology and new media, told The Washington Post. Opponents of the bill include the Consumer Electronics Association, Verizon, the American Conservative Union and advocacy group Public Knowledge, which has called on the Senate to postpone consideration until next year, to provide time for additional pubic debate. "It's just plain wrong to make the Department of Justice Hollywood's law firm," American Conservative Union deputy director Stacie Rumenap told The Post.
tags: Anti-Piracy | Congress | Vote | Copyright Bills |

EU Delays Vote on Controversial Intellectual Property Law

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 20, 2003 - 7:17am.
Brussels -- The EU has once again delayed a vote on controversial legislation that would increase law enforcement's powers to fight intellectual property crimes. The vote was delayed after several EU ministers said more discussion was needed to fully understand the directive's implications. The proposal has sparked considerable controversy in Europe, where critics claim that it will hinder competition and make many harmless practices a crime. The directive, which has been delayed three times already, was originally scheduled for vote on Sept. 11. That date has now been changed to Nov. 27, but industry experts say a vote before year's end is unlikely.
tags: EU | Vote | Controversial | Property Law |

EU Postpones Vote on Intellectual Property Rights Law

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 12, 2003 - 7:04am.
Brussels -- The European Parliament this week decided to postpone a vote on a controversial intellectual property rights bill until Nov. 4. The bill, which is backed by the likes of Microsoft and eBay and contains provisions similar to those of the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act, is designed to fight piracy, yet critics claim that it would criminalize many harmless activities and undermine competition in Europe. The latest proposal has drawn a "dismayed" reaction from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) as well, although for different reasons. The IFPI thinks the current bill is not tough enough to fight the growing "epidemic of counterfeiting."
tags: EU | Vote | Intellectual | Rights Law |