Why It Matters

The Directors Guild of America Inc. (DGA) filed a lobbying report for the third quarter of 2026 covering intellectual property protections, a draft artificial intelligence bill on rights of attribution and integrity, the cultural exception trade rule as it applies to the film industry, and a federal film and television tax incentive program. ​

By the Numbers

The in-house third-quarter filing reports $100,000, up $20,000 from the DGA's second-quarter in-house report of $80,000.

In the second quarter, DGA also retained Radius Advocacy LLC at $30,000 and Washington Council Ernst & Young at $20,000; neither firm has filed a third-quarter report as of the Oct. 9 signing date.

Mike Stoever, Government Affairs Director, is the only lobbyist named on the filing, with member-office experience listed for Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY-13), Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44).

The issue codes listed on the filing included copyright, science, taxation, and trade.

Broader Context

On Sept. 24, 2026, a bipartisan, bicameral group introduced the Motion Picture, Television, and Entertainment Revitalization Act (MPTERA), which would establish a 20% labor-based federal tax credit for qualifying U.S. film and television productions, with bonus credits up to 30%.

House sponsors include Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA-30), Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-1), and Rep. Linda Sánchez (D-CA-38); Senate sponsors include Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA). DGA is listed as an endorser in each introduction release.

By Sept. 29, eight new Senate cosponsors had joined, and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) announced his sponsorship. On Oct. 5, Rep. George Whitesides (D-CA-27) added his cosponsor announcement, citing a drop in local film permits and production jobs.

On the intellectual property front, Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA-18) and Ben Cline (R-VA-06) introduced the House version of the Deterring Extraterritorial Foreign Exploitation of Networks Damaging Intellectual Property Act (DEFEND IP Act) on Sept. 24, 2026, and Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) led the Senate version, which would allow U.S. courts to direct internet service providers to block foreign piracy sites; the Directors Guild of America (DGA) is listed as an endorser.

H.R. 2794, the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES Act of 2025), introduced April 9, 2025, would create a federal intellectual-property right against unauthorized digital replicas; it was referred to the House Judiciary Committee with no later enactment shown.

The Bottom Line

In-house spending rose from $60,000 in the third quarter of 2024 to $100,000 in the third quarter of 2026, while the two outside firms that appeared in prior quarters have no filing for the third quarter of 2026.

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