H.R. 4279: Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008

Writes Alex Kozak on our blog:

The House passed H.R. 4279 (PRO-IP Act) yesterday, which, among other
things, would create the "Office of the United States Intellectual
Property Enforcement Representative" under the Executive Office of the
President.  It also increases the amount of resources and personnel
related to CHIP (Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property)
enforcement.

[Read a summary here][1]

[See the full text here (PDF)][2]

The [EFF][3] has this to say about the legislation ([House Passes
Controversial PRO IP Act):][4]

> _"The most outrageous provisions would create new and unnecessary
federal bureaucracies devoted to intellectual property enforcement. None
seems more ridiculous than language creating a Cabinet-level "IP
enforcement czar" that would report to the President and coordinate
enforcement efforts across government, a proposal that has been [loudly
opposed][5] by the Department of Justice."_

In a time when many public University systems are facing huge budget
deficits (for example, the University of California faces a $400 million
deficit), is creating a new layer of federal IP enforcement a useful
allocation of funds?  Especially when the proposed legislation has been
criticized by the very people it directs.  Rather than using funds to
relieve financial stress in education, or any other strained public
service, the 110th Congress has chosen to help organizations like the
RIAA and MPAA fortify their own warped IP ideologies.

Stay tuned for more updates and analyses.

   [1]:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?tab=summary&bill=h110-4279

   [2]: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-
bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=110_cong_bills&docid=f:h4279eh.txt.pdf

   [3]: http://www.eff.org

   [4]: http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/05/house-passes-controversial-
pro-ip-act

   [5]: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2008/04/30/AR2008043003360.html

URL: http://freeculture.org/blog/2008/05/09/hr-4279-prioritizing-resources-and-organization-for-intellectual-property-act-of-2008/