April 17, 2014 2014 World Intellectual Property Day Celebration to Focus on Movies

The U.S. Copyright Office will host a Copyright Matters program in connection with World Intellectual Property Day at 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23, in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress, located on the ground floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street, SE, Washington, D.C. The event is free and open to the public; tickets are not required.

The theme of World Intellectual Property Day this year, as announced by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), is “Movies: A Global Passion.” World Intellectual Property Day is celebrated around the globe annually to mark the date the convention establishing WIPO came into force.

Francis Gurry, director general of WIPO, headquartered in Geneva, will deliver special remarks, followed by director Matthew Harrison and actor Robert Newman, presented by the Copyright Alliance. The Copyright Alliance is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public interest and educational organization representing artists, creators and innovators across copyright industries.

Harrison, an award-winning feature film and television director, will discuss the creative process of filmmaking. Harrison’s film “Rhythm Thief” was awarded special jury recognition for directing at the Sundance Film Festival. He also received the Mystic Fire Independent Film Award and directed episodes of “Sex and the City” for HBO.

Newman, nominated for two Daytime Emmy Awards, will discuss the creative components of film and other audiovisual works. Newman is vice president for actors and performers for the Screen Actors Guild—American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which represents more than 165,000 media professionals including actors, stunt performers and voiceover artists.

Film scholar Mike Mashon, head of the Library of Congress Moving Image Section, will discuss the historical and cultural importance of movies and the art and science of preserving them.

The Copyright Office launched the Copyright Matters lecture series in 2011 as a forum for discussion of the practical implications of copyright law in the 21st century. For details, go to www.copyright.gov/copyrightmatters.html.

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, publications and exhibitions. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov.