The MPAA is offering $20,000 to researchers to provide what the movie industry lobby groups says will be "unbiased" research into a range of piracy related issues.
The MPAA is launching a research program seeking applications for research grants based on a series of pre-chosen topics. The best applications will be awarded $20,000 in grants.
MPAA head Chris Dodd said that better research is needed to measure the impact of piracy.
"We need more and better research regarding the evolving role of copyright in society. The academic community can provide unbiased observations, data analysis, historical context and important revelations about how these changes are impacting the film industry and other IP-reliant sectors," said Dodd.
In recent times, Internet based firms such as Google, Spotify and Netflix have paid for their own research to counter claims made by rights holders on a range of issues, from piracy to revenue sharing. The MPAA's global research program may be a way for the movie industry to fight back, in the research field.
Critics say these efforts on both sides may yield research that's far from "unbiased", with the pre-selected research topics and carefully chosen directions steering the research towards inevitable, and favorable, conclusions.
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