Jack Valenti and Barry Meyer caution against "digital larceny" at CLE event

Technology is rapidly changing the face of the entertainment industry, spurring industry leaders to consider new markets, create innovative partnerships and explore unprecedented means to increase distribution and profits.

That was the clear message at the USC Law - Beverly Hills Bar Association 2002 Institute on Entertainment Law and Business, held on the USC campus on Sept. 21. A-list speakers packed USC's Bing Theatre to consider how technology and the global economy have intersected with a broad array of legislation and redefined business relationships.

The ubiquitous impact of the Internet is one example of how technology is changing the industry. Jack Valenti, president and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, gave a rousing opening address in which he said the Internet held great promise for the film industry. But he cautioned that the same technology could also facilitate widespread piracy.

"Within hours of the premiere of "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones," Valenti said, "it was on the Internet… . We cannot allow a future to unfold in which a 12-year-old can release a movie around the world easily."

Barry Meyer, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. studio, also cautioned against piracy on the Internet, which he called "digital larceny." He said the industry needed to educate the public about the need for entertainers and artists to be paid for their creative work, no matter where it's found or how it's distributed.

The 2002 Institute on Entertainment Law and Business is being held with the generous support of O'Melveny & Myers LLP, Lifetime Entertainment Services, Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman, and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Companies represented at the Institute included Creative Artists Agency, Universal, Fox, MCA Records, Sony Pictures, Miramax Films and DirecTV.

The Institute is one of six major conferences held by USC Law's Continuing Legal Education Program, which works to provide practicing attorneys, industry professionals and students with the most leading-edge continuing legal education programs available to the profession. The next CLE event will be Tax & Election Law for Public Policy, a two-day course beginning Oct. 21 on federal tax and election laws for non-profit organizations and foundations, conducted by the Alliance for Justice and held at USC's Davidson Center.