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The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA) is the trade association that represents companies that finance, produce and license independent film and television programming worldwide. The association is headquartered in Los Angeles, but has a global membership and wide scope of services and advocacy. Its roster of 150 member companies in 23 countries include independent production and distribution companies, sales agents, television companies, studio-affiliated companies and financial institutions. IFTA members create more than 500 independent films and countless hours of TV programming each year generating a revenue of $4 billion annually. The freedom for independents to create and distribute movies and television shows has been threatened by a handful of consolidated media companies that control programming and distribution. As the voice and advocate for the independent industry worldwide, IFTA continues to increase public awareness of the major issues facing independents and publicly represents the independent film industry on such matters as the threat to a competitive marketplace seen in media consolidation;〔http://www.broadcastingcable.com/blog/BC_Beat/12577-IFTA_Not_Invited_To_Cocktail_Party_.php〕 net neutrality;〔http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ife9d9d88fcefbcdc766b1003d2890216〕 the elimination of trade barriers; the impact of new technology on our traditional business models; anti-piracy; improvement of copyright protection around the world;〔http://www.thebusinessoffilmdaily.com/afm2009/D7_S2.html/〕 and the need to foster broad-based growth of the industry. To that end, IFTA executives meet regularly with Washington lawmakers to advocate on behalf of reasonable and limited regulations to restore balance in the television and cable marketplace. IFTA endorses the principles of “net neutrality” or open access to the Internet. Net neutrality is currently threatened if broadband providers are able to discriminate in favor of certain content or applications, potentially replicating the closed and vertically integrated structure with traditional programming and distribution platforms. In December 2008, IFTA called on the new Obama Administration to appoint an FCC chairman and commissioners who support principles of openness and diversity in the media with an open letter〔http://www.ifta-online.org/Uploads/Issues/60.PDF〕 to his transition team, including Julius Genachowski, who was confirmed as the new FCC chairman. IFTA lobbies against market barriers that impede the independents’ ability to compete fully in national markets around the world, including import and censorship restrictions and weak copyright protection. IFTA is a member of the Center for Copyright Information (CCI),〔(About the Center for Copyright Information )〕 that aims to reduce online copyright infringement through a graduated response scheme called the Copyright Alert System. ==What is an Independent?== According to IFTA:〔(IFTA Homepage )〕 An independent film or television program is financed primarily from sources outside the seven major U.S. studios. Independent entertainment programming is made at every budget range, from mainstream commercial to art house, and is seen by the public side-by-side with major studio releases. IFTA’s member companies are the independents who finance, license, and produce this programming. Some members of the IFTA are subsidiaries of the Big Six movie studios, such as New Line Cinema and HBO which is owned by Time Warner, and Focus Features which is owned by NBCUniversal. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Independent Film & Television Alliance」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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