The Hollywood studios always claim to be "pro-fair-use" but when the US Trade Representative made a move to put fair use into the Trans Pacific Partnership, the MPAA sent a scathing, furious letter to the Obama administration condemning "the inclusion of fair use' in free trade agreements" as "extremely controversial and divisive."
The MPAA letter is way out of proportion to the USTR's extremely weak-kneed proposal, which says that signatories "shall endeavor" to achieve a balance in their copyright rules.
But for the studios, any suggestion that you should be able to quote, transform, time-/space-shift copyrighted works is a bridge too far.
As I know you are aware, the inclusion of "fair use" in free trade agreements is extremely controversial and divisive. The creative community has been, and remains, a strong and consistent supporter of free trade, but the potential export of fair use via these agreements raises serious concerns within the community I represent. Over the last 24 hours, I have received calls from my member companies questioning what they perceive as a significant shift in US trade policy and, as a consequence, the value of the TPP to their industry.
MPAA Throws Hissy Fit Over USTR Even Thinking About Expanding Fair Use In TPP [Mike Masnick/Techdirt]
Will Hollywood's Whining Thwart Better TPP Copyright Rules?
[Maira Sutton/EFF]
