President Bush Signs "PRO-IP" Bill Into Law
The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property (PRO-IP) Act of 2007 is now officially the law of the land. It creates a "IP Czar" ('cause "czars" have worked out so
well, historically, apparently) chosen by the Senate and reporting directly to the President, forms a brand new division of the Department of Justice for him or her to be Czar over, specifically for the purpose of protecting intellectual property, and defines penalties for copyright infringement.
The usual supporters are saying the usual sorts of things: that it'll protect content creators, and reduce infringement. The usual opponents are saying
their usual things, that copyright laws are already stacked massively in favor corporations and against consumers. But I do think it's interesting to note that this is apparently a less severe version from what was originally opposed, evidently the DOJ objected to it on the grounds that it could put them in the position of becoming de facto free legal support for even extremely well-heeled copyright holders (i.e. the RIAA).
Personally, I find myself wondering if this is really the best use of Federal resources at this particular point in time. Surely we have enough to juggle without adding a new legal bureaucracy to the mix?
Source:
PC World, and
NewsOxy.com.