Los Angeles Times

It was the first major event for the Copyright Alliance, a new organization formed by deep-pocketed content producers from Hollywood, Silicon Valley and other regions. The Washington-based group intends to make a unified case to Congress that its members’ industries are a vital component of the U.S. economy and need to be protected from piracy.

Together, they make a powerful lobbying group.

The association lured congressional staffers with free gourmet sandwiches and DVD-size cookies to a room filled with big-screen TVs, laptops and glossy brochures. Capitol Hill aides took turns playing video games such as “Madden NFL 08” and “Super Mario Bros.” at one booth. At another, they lined up for autographs from soul singer Isaac Hayes.

And in a demonstration of the clout behind the Copyright Alliance, the group lured powerful House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) to speak at its coming-out party. “When you walk into this room,” Conyers told the crowd, “copyright becomes real.”