Motion Picture Association Chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin has used the occasion of the 2025 MPA Awards to highlight the importance of protecting copyright and fighting the threat of content piracy.

In his introductory remarks, he said the event recognised the law enforcement teams who work to secure the content we love to watch. “To protect the consumers buying tickets at the box office. To defend the intellectual property that forms the lifeblood of our business,” he added.

Presenting the Creative Protector Award to Director Ivan Arvelo and the IPR Center, he said Arvelo was a decorated member of law enforcement. “He oversees hundreds of field agents, who dedicate their lives to combating intellectual property theft, defending the homeland, promoting public safety. He’s served this mission in posts from D.C. and New York to Tampa and San Juan.”

“Five years ago, this agency and the MPA signed an agreement: to lock arms in the battle against digital piracy,” said Rivkin. “To strengthen our collaboration in waging this fight. To protect intellectual property as the precious resource that it is – a cornerstone of the creative sector and a competitive edge for America’s economy. Our cooperation speaks to what Director Arvelo told us about our industry: that it’s ‘so much more than entertainment – it’s an integral part of society’.”

Presenting the Industry Champion Award to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, he described him as “a true partner” on questions around media, technology, and the economic impact of filmmaking across the US. He’s helped enact landmark legislation to ensure a level playing field in Internet commerce. He’s pursued pragmatic solutions on adopting universal broadband infrastructure and modernising media regulation for the digital age. He recognises that a stronger creative sector is vital to a stronger national economy, stronger job growth, stronger wages. Which benefits citizens in South Dakota as much as in California, or Texas, or anywhere else in our country.”

Presenting the Industry Champion Award to Senator Chris Coons, he recognised that Coons understood how the industry matters to America, to its economic growth, workforce, local communities and global leadership. “He understands intellectual property – and its value to our nation. He’s a constitutional scholar – and speaks often of its protections for copyright. He sees piracy for the threat that it is, the jobs it costs, the value it drains from our economy. And he’s always ready to get things done: on countering unauthorised digital replicas. On defending American trade secrets and innovation. On advancing site blocking and so many issues vital to our industry. We simply could not ask for a better friend, a more trusted partner, or a more effective advocate in the halls of government,” he concluded.

Presenting the Industry Champion Award to Chairman Darrell Issa, he descried him as “a true partner” on matters critical to film and television, saying that he was focused on how America can lead on AI, without sacrificing its commitment to intellectual property. “He’s fighting to protect our country’s consumers from harmful uses of digital technologies. He’s leading the charge to deliver new tools to copyright holders that will defend our nation’s creative economy from foreign piracy. He is a powerful champion of our industry. A trusted ally for the MPA. A key voice in promoting innovation and creativity – and pursuing the policies to protect them.”

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Categories: Articles, Business, Content, Piracy, Policy, Regulation, Rights

Tags: Charles Rivkin, Chris Coons, Darrell Issa, Ivan Arvelo, John Thune, Motion Picture Association, mpa