Blog Post

MIPCOM 2010

AAPA

4th October 2010

MIPCOM is generally considered an excellent indicator of the vitality, ingenuity and creativity of the content industry. And now more than ever, because of the fantastic evolutions of technology and the development of numerous means to distribute movies and television programmes it is clear what is at stake: the entire ecosystem of the audiovisual sector can only prosper as long as intellectual property is guaranteed. This can only happen through a joint effort between the various private stakeholders and the Government Authorities - who can provide consistent protection by legislators and law enforcement bodies. Without such protection, the roots of creation in the motion picture and television sectors will be threatened. In addition, business opportunities will vanish since investors will quickly withdraw when the fundamentals are threatened. We have seen during the credit crunch the consequences that can result from a loss in confidence. The threat posed by piracy is not something happening in "Virtual Reality". It is a very real problem in the Real World. Piracy destroys trust in the ecosystem - and without trust financiers pull back. As a result, the devastating effect of piracy is not a gradual process or a secondary phenomenon, but more like an avalanche, potentially sweeping over the whole industry and in the first rank programme creation. AEPOC's conviction is: Piracy needs to be fought by all means at all times - with the clear aim of eradicating it. This is why everyone belonging to the content industry is invited to support AEPOC in achieving our goals.

AEPOC is Europe's Anti-Piracy Association for the Protection of Encrypted Works and Services. Our members belong to the elite of European and international media and telecommunications companies, making of AEPOC one of the world's leading trade association fighting piracy. Our mission is to assess and effectively coordinate initiatives to address audio-visual piracy as it affects Pay-TV operators, hardware and software providers. During 2010 the AEPOC Board of Directors helped me in developing a new AEPOC action plan to build the ground for a broader anti-piracy stance for the Association. Part of this initiative are standing committees with emphasis on extending AEPOC's intelligence capacities and efforts in view of the European regulatory environment. With AEPOC's Board recently confirmed in office until 2013 we look forward to tackling the manifold issues of piracy, supported by the trust and strength of our members. AEPOC initiated actions of unprecedented industry cooperation among our members, who are in some cases severe competitors, are already off to a successful start. With an enhanced organisational structure with more dedicated resources, our initiative shall be instrumental in unlocking the potential inherent in AEPOC to take the Association to the next level in the fight against audio-visual piracy in Europe - and beyond. We would be pleased to win more supporters to safeguard the vitality of the content ecosystem and help build a fertile and secure environment for growth.

To all visitors to MIPCOM 2010 AEPOC wishes an excellent Festival.

Philippe-Olivier Rousseau

Chairman of the Board
AEPOC

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Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance 2024-2029 EU Manifesto

by AAPA • 01 Oct, 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) publishes its first Manifesto, linked here . The document aims to recognise past efforts of EU legislators when it comes to content protection and the fight against copyright infringement, whilst admitting that more can and should be done to address this growing issue. Miruna Herovanu, Executive Director of AAPA said : " After years of laying the groundwork to combat online piracy it’s time for EU policymakers and beyond to fully acknowledge that decisive, targeted measures are needed at the European level. The rise of digital theft demands action. We call for strong political resolve to end the theft of our members' content. We're ready to support every stakeholder—law enforcement, policymakers, and industry representatives—to dismantle criminal networks and protect European consumers from harm."

AAPA ANNOUNCES NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

by AAPA • 28 May, 2024

The Audiovisual Anti-Piracy Alliance (AAPA) has announced the appointment of Miruna Herovanu as its Executive Director. Miruna was previously the Director at the Association of Commercial Television and Video on Demand in Europe in charge of Intellectual Property and Competition policies. She took up her position with AAPA on 27 May 2024 and will be based in Brussels. Miruna will replace Sheila Cassells who is retiring as Executive Vice President of AAPA and will report on a day-to-day basis to the two Co-Presidents, Mark Mulready, VP of Cyber Services at Irdeto and Oliver Pribramksy, Head of IP Protection and Committees at the Deutsche Fussball Liga. She will be responsible for the implementation of the strategy agreed by AAPA members, managing relationships with law enforcement agencies such as Europol, Eurojust, INTERPOL and the European Institutions, delivery of AAPA’s Working Group goals and general management of the Alliance. Mark Mulready said that: “We are delighted to appoint someone of Miruna’s calibre and experience to become the Executive Director of AAPA. Miruna’s commitment to copyright protection is well-known. Her knowledge of the Brussels institutions and the EUIPO will stand AAPA in good stead for future policy developments. A priority will be for Miruna to work closely with AAPA members, the EUIPO and the European Institutions to deliver on, inter alia, the goals of combatting online piracy of sports and other live events recommendation.” Miruna Herovanu commented that: “My professional experience demonstrated that piracy is an ever-growing issue that eats at the heart of Europe’s most important industries. This is a golden opportunity and a new professional challenge that will help further develop my passion for and commitment to protecting copyright. Being able to work with and support industry experts and practitioners in AAPA, law enforcement, the European Institutions and other trade associations is essential to the fight against piracy. I am excited to be taking on this role.”