Filming in California
Governor Davis to Sign Legislation to Protect California's Entertainment Industry
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
09/25/2003
Contact: Karen Constine
Contact Phone: 323.860.2960
LOS ANGELES -- Governor Gray Davis announced today that he will sign a package of legislation that boosts penalties for movie and music piracy and increases financial protections for child actors.
"The entertainment industry imagines the future, captivates the world's imagination and creates real jobs here in California," Governor Davis said. "Every time someone goes to a movie or buys a CD, odds are the California economy has a starring role. That's why I'm happy to sign a package of legislation to protect our entertainment industry and keep entertainment jobs in California.
"We're sending a message to filmmakers, record producers and everyone in the industry from key grips to producers: we want Hollywood to stay in California. This legislation makes sure that California will retain our belt as the undisputed heavyweight champion of the entertainment world."
SB 210 by Senate President pro Tempore John Burton (D-San Francisco) amends the "Coogan Law" to further protect minors who provide artistic or creative services. The measure requires 15 percent of a minor's earnings be set aside in a Coogan Trust Account. SB 210 establishes a default trust fund within the Actors Fund of America so studios have a place to deposit the trust fund monies when parents don't set up a Coogan Trust. The funds earn remain safe, earn interest and are accessible at any time by the minor.
SB 1032 by Senator Kevin Murray (D-Los Angeles) cracks down on piracy of motion pictures by creating a misdemeanor punishable by county jail time of up to one year and/or a fine of up to $2,500 for recording a motion picture in a theater without appropriate consent. The entertainment industry estimates a $3 billion loss annually from movie piracy.
AB 1277 by Assemblymember Rebecca Cohn (D-Saratoga) adds a representative of the Recording Industry Association of America and the Consumers Union to the High Technology Crime Advisory Committee, which serves as an advisory board to the High Technology Theft Apprehension Prosecution Program (HTTAPP). It also adds music piracy and the unlawful duplication of music recordings to the list of crimes the HTTAPP is authorized to target for criminal prosecution. The measure also includes statutory language that restores the California Film Commission and the Film California First program and moves these programs from the Technology, Trade and Commerce Agency to the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.