Interview With the U.S. Copyright Czar; New York Times, 6/8/11

Ben Sisario, New York Times; Interview With the U.S. Copyright Czar:

"As the first United States intellectual property enforcement coordinator, Victoria A. Espinel reports to President Obama and Congress on copyright, trademarks and other intellectual property issues, and works with an array of federal agencies — the Justice Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, among others — to enforce the law."

Bush Enacts PRO-IP Anti-piracy Law - PC World, 10/14/08

Bush Enacts PRO-IP Anti-piracy Law:

"U.S. President George W. Bush Monday signed into law a bill designed to increase protection of intellectual property (IP) such as software, films and music by raising penalties for infringement and creating a national "IP czar."

The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2007, or PRO-IP Act, creates a high-ranking IP protection overseer, appointed by the Senate and reporting directly to the president. The position's first appointee will likely come from the next U.S. administration...

"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," said Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge, a Washington, D.C.-based digital rights group, after the passage of the Senate version of PRO-IP in late September."
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/152214/bush_enacts_proip_antipiracy_law.html

Commerce Dept Cites Bogus Stats, Chamber Of Commerce Uses Them To Ask Bush To Accept Copyright Czar - Techdirt, 10/6/08

Commerce Dept Cites Bogus Stats, Chamber Of Commerce Uses Them To Ask Bush To Accept Copyright Czar:

"In urging President Bush to sign into law the ProIP bill, which would give him a copyright czar (something the Justice Department had said it it doesn't want), the US Chamber of Commerce is claiming that 750,000 American jobs have been lost to piracy. Yet, it doesn't cite where that number comes from."
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20081003/1946432453.shtml

Fiction or Fiction: 750,000 American Jobs Lost to IP Piracy - Wired.com, 10/3/08

Fiction or Fiction: 750,000 American Jobs Lost to IP Piracy:
"Declaring that 750,000 Americans are out of work because of intellectual property piracy, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is urging President Bush to sign legislation creating a cabinet-level copyright czar to oversee expanded IP enforcement efforts.
Those are eye-popping numbers, equaling 8 percent of the official number of 9.4 million unemployed Americans.
But the origin of that 750,000 number -- which was included Thursday in a Chamber of Commerce lobbying letter (.pdf) to the president -- is a mystery."
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/10/fiction-or-fict.html

Copyright Czar's Fate in Bush's Hands; Veto Looms - Wired.com, 9/29/08

Copyright Czar's Fate in Bush's Hands; Veto Looms:
"[T]he Bush administration also doesn't want a copyright czar, a position on par with the nation's drug czar Congress created in 1982 to wage the War on Drugs...
The proposed copyright czar, a position which requires Senate confirmation, "constitutes a legislative intrusion into the internal structure and composition of the president's administration. This provision is therefore objectionable on constitutional separation of powers grounds," the White House wrote lawmakers.
That was code for the Bush administration being in no mood to commence another war, this one the War on Piracy. The government is too busy battling the War on Terror and the War on Drugs."
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/copyright-czars.html

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

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