Trying to make its case for protecting copyrights, NBC Universal commissioned a study to measure the economic impact of the “intellectual property” industry on the US economy. “The report estimates that growth in U.S. gross domestic product from 2002-2010 would be reduced from $3.1 trillion to $2 trillion without the contribution of the IP industry. ‘Digital piracy is an issue that goes far beyond illegal downloading of music or movies. Theft and counterfeiting of intellectual property of all types is a serious and growing problem for the U.S. economy. This study provides important empirical evidence of just how much is at stake’.”
Tag: 11.08.05
Senator Prude To Hold More Hearings On TV Content
The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee plans later this month to hold more hearings on pogramming it feels is “indecent” and to “determine how to proceed on potential legislation to limit such material.”
Did Italian Police Offer Deal To Art Smuggler To Give Up Museums?
A Rome prosecutor is said to have offered reduced jail time to an antiquities smuggler if he would testify against big museums like the Metropolitan and MFA. “If you accuse the Metropolitan and Getty and the Berlin Museum, Boston, Cleveland, Copenhagen and Munich — one piece each – – I can make this go away,” prosecutor Paolo Ferri said two weeks ago, according to the smuggler, Giacomo Medici.
Poet Nadia Anjuman Murdered
A prominent Afghan poet has apparently been beaten to death by her husband in what is known in Afghanistan as an “honor killing.” The United Nations has condemned the murder of Nadia Anjuman, and the poet’s husband and mother have both been arrested in the case. While not technically legal, “honor killings,” in which women are beaten to death by male relatives to save the family from some imagined disgrace, are still widely accepted in many parts of Afghanistan.
Art Market Back On The Upswing
“Over the past two decades, the Impressionist and modern art market has seen demand reach dizzying heights and then collapse, and supply fluctuate from feast to famine. But last week it had a solid, confident air as buyers spent almost £165 million at Christie’s and Sotheby’s main New York sales. Helped by a bumper crop of estate sales and the controversial decision of several American museums to sell works to fund new purchases, there was plenty to tempt buyers, who reacted enthusiastically.”
Bergen Wins 2005 Giller Prize
David Bergen beat out four other finalists Tuesday night to take home the 2005 Giller Prize, Canada’s preeminent award for fiction. Bergen’s novel, The Time In-Between, finished ahead of books by Joan Barfoot, Camilla Gibb, Lisa Moore, and Edeet Ravel in the lavish award ceremony broadcast across Canada. Bergen receives CAN$40,000 in prize money.
Three Familiar Names Shortlisted For Composer Prize
“Harrison Birtwistle, Michael Nyman, and John Tavener are among the composers on the shortlist for the British Composer Awards, which was announced on November 4 by the British Academy of Composers & Songwriters. The awards, which are presented in association with BBC Radio 3, will be handed out at a ceremony at Ironmonger’s Hall in London on December 9.”
Juilliard Drama Icon To Step Down
The Juilliard School’s director of drama is stepping down to devote himself full-time to his other job, as head of the Washington, D.C.-based Shakespeare Theatre Company. The company is preparing to open a new 776-seat theatre in Washington, and Michael Kahn felt he could no longer juggle both jobs. “He has taught at Juilliard since 1968 and run the drama division since 1992… The list of actors Kahn has helped train includes Val Kilmer, Laura Linney, Frances Conroy, Mandy Patinkin, Patti LuPone, Christine Baranski, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Bradley Whitford and on and on.”
Reality TV, Meet Your Melodramatic Soul Mate
Classical music irrelevant? Hah! One of the latest reality-TV efforts being pitched to American networks focuses squarely on the appropriately melodramatic world of opera. Think of the possibilities! “Category-5 star fits, backstabbing left and right, failed high notes, plus Pavarotti-esque quantities of food… The proposed scenarios for the show’s first few episodes have [the main character] handling financial problems over long distance, often just before going on stage costumed in the standard Rossini-opera wigs and tights. His 22-year marriage is full of tension. This father of two sons talks about three months at home being ‘way too long. I’m a road guy.'”
Vaulting Ahead Of The Competition, Thanks To Microsoft
When a Microsoft research scientist offered the Oregon Shakespeare Festival free software along with his usual cash contribution a few years ago, festival officials jumped at the opportunity to boost their techno-capability. “The festival’s technical staff put together a lengthy wish list of software, some of it basic operating system software, some of it more specialized, and far more expensive… New computers were purchased, and a wireless network was built. A small group of programmers at the festival was able to write customized software to cue lights, position scenery, keep track of props and costumes, project synchronized video, sell tickets and administer the database of members.” There isn’t a single aspect of the festival that hasn’t been transformed by the new equipment.