Motion Picture Association Hires 4th Highest-Ranking FBI Official to Lead Anti-Piracy Team
Larissa Knapp, a 27-year Bureau veteran, started out handling intellectual property and cybercrimes
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The Motion Picture Association is not messing around when it comes to the fight against online piracy. The group has brought on the fourth-highest ranking official from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Larissa Knapp, to take the lead of their content protection efforts. Before joining the MPA, Knapp worked at the FBI for 27 years.
“I am honored to be part of such an iconic global organization that prioritizes the integrity of the creative economy, driven by [the MPA’s Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment] members’ groundbreaking films, TV series, and streaming content,” Knapp said in a statement. “My career in law enforcement has afforded me the opportunity to lead strategic initiatives protecting legal rights and addressing crime on a large scale, and I look forward to leveraging that experience in the fight against copyright infringement on behalf of our members and content creators around the world.”
The ACE team is made up of board members from the largest global entertainment companies including Amazon, Apple TV+, Netflix, Paramount Global, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Before joining the MPA, Knapp most recently led the Bureau’s National Security Branch, where she managed a budget of $300 million and more than 2,000 personnel. She previously led the FBI’s Security, Training and Human Resources Divisions and began her career as an agent handling intellectual property and cybercrimes.
In her new role as executive vice president and chief content protection officer, Knapp is tasked with continuing to expand content protection operations for the MPA, working closely with its Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment. Knapp will lead the ACE team tackling piracy services and operators, while deepening partnerships with law enforcement agencies globally. The MPA notes that her connections coming from the FBI will help expand the alliance’s membership base and grow its operational footprint.
The MPA currently uses a set of content security best practices to strengthen security processes for content creators and producers under their umbrella.
“Larissa’s extraordinary background leading investigations teams across the world and successfully pursuing criminal cases will undoubtedly take ACE’s content protection efforts to a new peak of excellence,” MPA chairman and CEO Charles Rivkin said. “With Larissa’s experience in high-risk, complex organizational environments coupled with her visionary leadership, I’m confident that our content protection enforcement business will only grow in stature and impact, as we safeguard the rights and productions of all those who conceive, develop, and deliver creative masterpieces for screens big and small.”
ACE’s mission is to protect creativity and innovation, which it describes as fueling the global growth of copyright and entertainment industries.
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