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Report: Obama campaign still fundraising from Hollywood, despite piracy dustup

By Brendan Sasso - 01/25/12 05:45 PM ET

Despite hurt feelings over two now-shelved anti-piracy bills, Hollywood supporters will attend expensive fundraising events for President Obama's reelection campaign, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The Obama Victory Fund, which splits donations between the president's campaign and the Democratic Party, invited select Hollywood supporters to several events in the coming weeks.

Donors who give $71,600 per couple will get seats at five Southern California events, including a reception with first lady Michelle Obama on Jan 31. and a February dinner with the president at a private home.

Former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), head of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), has suggested in recent weeks that Hollywood will cut off donations to politicians who do not support crackdowns on copyright infringement.

"Those who count on, quote, Hollywood for support need to understand that this industry is watching very carefully who's going to stand up for them when their job is at stake," Dodd said on Fox News on last week. "Don't ask me to write a check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don't pay any attention to me when my job is at stake," Dodd said on Fox News on last."

The MPAA has fought hard for the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA), which aim to block access to foreign sites offering illegal copies of moves and music. 

Web companies argue the measures would stifle innovation and censor free speech. 

The White House expressed concern with the piracy bills in a statement, echoing many of the criticisms of the Internet community. The statement emphasized that the administration supports giving law enforcement officials new tools to go after foreign pirate sites.


Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/206601-report-obama-campaign-still-fundraising-from-hollywood-despite-piracy-dustup
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