Senate Gives The White House A Copyright Czar - Techdirt, 9/26/08

Senate Gives The White House A Copyright Czar:
"While some of the worst provisions were removed, this still remains a bill that has one purpose: to protect an obsolete business model, rather than letting more innovative models proliferate."
http://techdirt.com/articles/20080926/1429572385.shtml

Senate Passes Controversial 'Copyright Czar' Bill - PC Mag, 9/26/08

Senate Passes Controversial 'Copyright Czar' Bill:
"The RIAA voiced its support for the bill. "This bill truly is music to the ears of all those who care about strengthening American creativity and jobs," Mitch Bainwol, chairman and chief executive of the RIAA, said in a statement. "At a critical economic juncture, this bipartisan legislation provides enhanced protection for an important asset that helps lead our global competitiveness. The intellectual property industries are widely recognized as a cornerstone of the U.S. economy. Additional tools for intellectual property enforcement are not just good for the copyright community but for consumers who will enjoy a wider array of legitimate offerings."
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2704,2331291,00.asp

IP bill passes Senate - ars technica, 9/26/08

IP bill passes Senate:
"Until recently dubbed the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act, S.3325 was rebranded as the "Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act," or PRO-IP, to match its sibling in the House of Representatives. It also now resembles the House bill, which passed overwhelmingly in May, in that it lacks a clause that would have given the Justice Department authority to bring civil suits against patent and copyright infringers, turning the damages over to the IP holders."
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080926-ip-bill-passes-senate-no-civil-enforcement-power-for-doj.html

Public Knowledge Statement on Senate Passage of Intellectual Property Legislation - 9/26/08

Public Knowledge Statement on Senate Passage of Intellectual Property Legislation:

Background: The Senate today passed S. 3325, the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008. The following statement is attributed to Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge:

“It is unfortunate that the Senate felt it necessary to pass this legislation. The bill only adds more imbalance to a copyright law that favors large media companies. At a time when the entire digital world is going to less restrictive distribution models, and when the courts are aghast at the outlandish damages being inflicted on consumers in copyright cases, this bill goes entirely in the wrong direction.
“Instead of being focused on giving large media companies what they want, Congress instead should take a comprehensive look at the current state of the law, and of technology and write legislation that recognizes the reality of the situation and the reality that consumers have rights also.
“At a minimum, we are pleased that the Senate bill as passed does not include the egregious provision allowing the Justice Department to file civil suits against alleged copyright violators on behalf of copyright holders. This provision was a total waste of the taxpayers’ money. We are grateful to Senator Wyden for his leadership in getting that provision removed. We still would have preferred that the bill not pass.”

Note: We understand the House may pass the bill tomorrow under suspension of the rules.

A copy of the bill, as passed by the Senate, is available here:http://www.publicknowledge.org/pdf/110-s3325-20080926.pdf"
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1766

Senate Passes Bill Creating 'Copyright Czar' - Wired.com, 9/26/08

Senate Passes Bill Creating 'Copyright Czar':
"The measure (.pdf) creates an executive-level "Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator" -- a copyright czar requiring Senate confirmation.
The executive and its office would be charged with creating a nationwide plan to combat piracy and "report directly to the president and Congress regarding domestic international intellectual property enforcement programs...
The intellectual property measure approved Friday was strongly backed by Hollywood, the recording industry, unions, manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce...
Digital rights groups, including Public Knowledge, opposed the measure.
Gigi Sohn, the group's president, said the bill goes too far but she was nonetheless pleased that the Justice Department won't be suing copyright infringers on behalf of the entertainment industry. "
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/senate-passes-b.html