Fergie's Tech Blog

Hollywood's Revisionist Flashback: 'We're Innovators!'

Nate Anderson writes on ARS Technica:

Movie executives trotted off to Washington, DC, last week to attend "The Business of Show Business," an MPAA-sponsored event meant to tell legislators and aides about "the value of the American motion picture business and its contribution to the US economy." At the event, held in the Smithsonian's American Art and Portraiture gallery, Warner Bros. CEO Barry Meyer stirred up a bit of controversy by roundly bashing Consumer Electronics Association president Gary Shapiro. Now Shapiro is fighting back.

In Meyer's speech, he quoted extensively from Shapiro's recent appearance at CES, where Shapiro gave a major speech arguing that consumers should not be treated like pirates. Meyer dissected the speech. He claimed that the movie business, rather than having its collective head stuck in the sand, is actually a great innovator. "History shows that we are often adapters and embracers of new technology," said Meyer.

Shapiro was not amused. He has released an open letter to Meyer in which he says, "Although the use of my speech was 'fair use,' your excerpts were unfair and out of context... More, your view and mine of the world are certainly different."

posted by Fergie @ 2/12/2007 12:13:00 PM