MPAA president Dan Glickmansounded a determined note in his first address to ShoWest internationaldelegates yesterday [March 14] as he exhorted them to join a global partnershipin the war on piracy, while acknowledging their superior contribution to Hollywood's bottom line.

Glickman, a formeragriculture secretary who served under former President Bill Clinton andsucceeded legendary MPAA chief Jack Valenti last year, made it clear thatglobal copyright abuse remains the MPAA's highest priority at the InternationalDay Luncheon.

"We're working together withour partners to promote this extraordinary art form and collaborate in foreignmarkets to redouble our efforts to stop piracy," Glickman said.

In what may already beemerging as a signature theme that espouses international cooperation, the MPAAchief outlined a busy travel schedule designed to enlist help from the globalindustry and legislators.

Glickman recently returnedfrom meeting President Vicente Fox in Mexico - where one of the pirate DVDs onshow included The Pacifierproduced by his son Jonathan - and said he had scheduled meetings with EUcommissioners and trips to India and China before the end of May.

"The markets around theworld are extraordinary and a critical part of our work, and I will be doing mybest to be a bridge-builder," he said, adding that international revenuerepresented the lion's share of Hollywood's global revenue, rising from 42.6%compared to 57.4% from domestic revenue in 2001 to 51.6% compared to 48.8% in2004.

The luncheon also hostedseveral award presentations. Danny Boyle received the International Achievementin Filmmaking award, Catalina Sandino Moreno collected International Star ofthe Year, and Shochiku president Jay Sakomoto collected International Exhibitorof the Year in the company's 110th anniversary year.

Earlier in the day, FoxInternational president Stephen Moore told delegates that the industry neededto identify consumer need, fight piracy, and strive to offer consumers a"unique and satisfying" experience in the face of increasingly sophisticatedhome entertainment platforms.

Moore hinted at futurecollaborations with mobile phone manufacturers when he stressed the importanceof providing film fans with "choice and control", mentioning the iPOD and legalmusic downloads as an affordable and desirable practices.