USIBC Leads Mission to Accelerate US-India Entertainment Collaboration

The U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) today announced a high-level Executive Mission to the 11^th Anniversary FICCI FRAMES Conference in Mumbai, India. The Delegation will include senior executives from top media and entertainment companies. Dan Glickman, Chairman of the MPAA and Mike Ellis, President of Motion Picture Association International, will serve as chairs alongside Jeffrey Lawrence of Intel Corporation, a key sponsor for this year’s conference.

“The FRAMES Conference provides a unique opportunity to further strengthen the growing ties between the American and Indian media and entertainment sectors,” noted Michael DiPaula-Coyle, Director of Policy Advocacy at USIBC. “In spite of the global economic downturn, this past year has been marked by outstanding new achievements in media and entertainment. The growing convergence between our two industries is one of the great success stories of the new U.S.-India partnership.”

The Executive Mission will participate in the FRAMES Conference in Mumbai and will then travel to New Delhi. In both cities, the delegation will meet with industry and government leaders to identify and address shared challenges and to create new and meaningful opportunities for both countries.

“Perhaps the greatest challenge that the media and entertainment industry in India faces is intellectual property theft,” remarks Rajiv P. Dalal, Managing Director of the Motion Picture Association’s India office. “Because content protection is paramount to developing a business environment that encourages international collaboration and promotes creativity, both U.S. and Indian industries must work together to overcome this challenge.”

The U.S.-India Business Council is the premier business advocacy organization representing America's leading companies investing in India. Formed in 1975 at the request of the governments of the United States and India, the Council engages the private sectors of both countries with the goal of enhancing bilateral investment and trade flows.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and its international counterpart, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) serve as the voice and advocate of the American motion picture, home video and television industries, domestically through the MPAA and internationally through the MPA. Today, these associations represent not only the world of theatrical film, but serve as leader and advocate for major producers and distributors of entertainment programming for television, cable, home video and future delivery systems not yet imagined. Its members include, Paramount Pictures Corporation; Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.; Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation; Universal City Studios LLLP; Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures; and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.