The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers resumed negotiations with
the Screen Actors Guild on Wednesday following the AMPTP's tentative deal with the
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. In the end, the producers acceded
to AFTRA's demands that they obtain consent before using a clip of an actor's performance
online. The producers had earlier insisted that the costs of obtaining such permissions
would outweigh any potential revenue from such use. Analysts suggested that in th
e end the producers decided simply to forgo using such clips online -- and the minimal
revenue that they were thought to represent -- rather than prolong the dispute over
them. Nevertheless, it was uncertain whether SAG would accept a similar deal with
the AMPTP, which, in virtually all respects is otherwise a copy of the agreement hashed
out earlier with the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America.
Currently, the movie industry is already experiencing what many are calling a de
facto strike, with studios unwilling to greenlight any film that could be shut down after
the expiration of the current contract on June 30.
29/05/2008
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