Creative Community Praises Supreme Court Decision in Grokster Case.

LOS ANGELES -- In a decision announced today, the United States Supreme Court overturned the ruling of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in favor of the plaintiffs in the case of MGM, et al. v. Grokster, Ltd., et al.

The following is a joint statement from the preeminent entertainment unions -- American Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Directors Guild of America, Screen Actors Guild, and Writers Guild of America, west -- on today's Supreme Court ruling. These organizations also filed a "friend of the court" brief in January 2005 urging the Court to consider the negative impact of Internet piracy on artists.

"Today a clear and unmistakable message has been sent -- that work created by our members deserves the same basic financial protections as every other product in the marketplace. Unauthorized file-swapping of copyrighted material is property theft, plain and simple, and this theft destroys the very protections that allow our members to sustain a career and provide for their families. We applaud the Supreme Court's decision that advances in technology serve to enhance and promote, rather than undermine, the vibrant and diverse cultural and artistic traditions of this country.

"Today's decision marks an economic and creative victory for every creator whose livelihood has been threatened by the blatant copyright infringement running rampant on peer-to-peer sites across the Internet. What is most important about it is the determination that just because something can be distributed freely, does not mean that it is free, and that the financial rights of creators and copyright holders can no longer be ignored."

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS (AFM)
      AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TELEVISION AND RADIO ARTISTS (AFTRA)
                   DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA (DGA)
                       SCREEN ACTORS GUILD (SAG)
                 WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA, WEST (WGA)

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS (AFM)

The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada is the largest organization in the world dedicated to representing the interests of professional musicians. Whether it is negotiating fair agreements, protecting ownership of recorded music, securing benefits such as health care and pension, or lobbying our legislators the AFM is committed to raising industry standards and placing the professional musician in the foreground of the cultural landscape. For more information visit the website at www.afm.org.

AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TELEVISION AND RADIO ARTISTS (AFTRA)

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists -- affiliated with the AFL-CIO -- is a diverse national union representing nearly 80,000 professional performers, broadcasters and recording artists in 32 Locals throughout the country. AFTRA members work as actors, broadcast journalists, dancers, singers, announcers, hosts, comedians and disc jockeys in all aspects of the media industries including television and radio, sound recordings, commercials, industrial non-broadcast, interactive games and the Internet. More information on AFTRA is available at www.aftra.com.

DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA (DGA)

The Directors Guild of America was founded in 1936 to protect the economic and creative rights of directors. Over the years its membership has expanded to include the directorial team - Unit Production Managers, Assistant Directors, Technical Coordinators, Associate Directors, Stage Managers and Production Associates. Today, through the collective voice of more than 13,000 members, the Guild seeks to protect the rights of directorial teams, to contend for their creative freedom and strengthen their ability to develop meaningful and lifelong careers in film, tape and digital media.

SCREEN ACTORS GUILD (SAG)

Screen Actors Guild is the nation's largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, SAG has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists' rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, SAG represents nearly 120,000 working actors in film, television, industrials, commercials and music videos. The Guild exists to enhance actors' working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists' rights. SAG is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. Headquartered in Los Angeles, you can visit SAG online at www.sag.org

WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA, WEST (WGA)

Founded in 1933, the Writers Guild of America, east and west represent writers in the motion picture, broadcast, cable, and new media industries in both entertainment and news. The union conducts numerous programs, seminars, and events throughout the world on issues of interest to, and on behalf of, writers.