Saturday, December 8 2007, 11:18 GMT (06:18 ET)
By James Welsh, International Editor
Talks between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and the Writers Guild of America have broken down, it has been confirmed.
In a statement, the AMPTP said: "We're disappointed to report that talks between the AMPTP and WGA have broken down yet again. Quite frankly, we're puzzled and disheartened by an ongoing WGA negotiating strategy that seems designed to delay or derail talks rather than facilitate an end to this strike."
The AMPTP cited six "unreasonable demands" made by the WGA in the most recent round of talks as "roadblocks to real progress". According to the AMPTP, the WGA has demanded that membership in their union be mandatory in the reality TV and animation industries; that networks should be prevented from airing reality TV material that was not produced in accordance with WGA rules; that a "no strike" provision should be ignored, thus enabling the WGA to participate in other disputes; that writers receive a slice of ad revenues; that a third party should determine transaction and therefore residual values, instead of the market; and that the WGA's proposal for new media residuals "could actually cost producers more than they receive in revenues".
The AMPTP added: "These are the terms the WGA organizers demand for ending the strike - money that doesn't exist, restrictions that are legally dubious, and control over people who have refused to join their union."
In response, the WGA's negotiating committee chairman John Bowman said of the AMPTP: "They are holding to their offer of a $250 fixed residual for unlimited one year streaming after a six-week window of free use. They still insist on the DVD rate for Internet downloads.
"They refuse to cover original material made for new media.
"This offer was accompanied by an ultimatum: the AMPTP demands we give up several of our proposals, including Fair Market Value (our protection against vertical integration and self-dealing), animation, reality, and, most crucially, any proposal that uses distributor's gross as a basis for residuals. This would require us to concede most of our Internet proposal as a precondition for continued bargaining. The AMPTP insists we let them do to the Internet what they did to home video."
He added: "We remain ready and willing to negotiate, no matter how intransigent our bargaining partners are, because the stakes are simply too high. We were prepared to counter their proposal tonight, and when any of them are ready to return to the table, we're here, ready to make a fair deal."
Oh my. I have read that they expect the strike to go one till at least summer. Another strike might happen next summer with either the actors or directors.