By Andy Fry
ACE (the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment), which describes itself as ‘the world’s leading anti-piracy coalition’ has added 11 new members to its membership, with France Televisions, RTL Deutschland and OSN among high-profile additions. In total, ACE’s latest expansion brings the total number of member companies to 52.
ACE said the new members extensively increase its global network and its ability to shut down illegal piracy operations. Particularly noticeable is that seven new members are from Latin America. “I am extremely proud of ACE’s growth this year, which is a clear reflection of the impact it has had on combating the illegal piracy operations,” said chairman and CEO of the US Motion Picture Association and chairman of ACE, Charles Rivkin. “Every new member has seen firsthand the threat piracy poses to their business, and they recognised that joining ACE is the most effective way to combat that. With every new member, ACE grows stronger and better equipped.”
EVP and global content protection chief for the MPA and head of ACE, Jan van Voorn added: “We’re just getting started. ACE will continue to expand our global reach and impact as we pursue and shut down illegal enterprises.”
This year, ACE has added 18 members, including members focused on live sports piracy. The governing board includes Amazon, Apple TV+, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount, Walt Disney and Warner Bros.
According to the Global Innovation Policy Centre, piracy amounts to as much as US$71 billion annually in lost domestic revenues. To combat this, ACE is supported by a network of experts operating in high-tech investigations and law enforcement, in partnership with local governments and international organisations including Interpol and Europol, to take on the full piracy supply chain.
