PRO IP bill easily passes House of Representatives

Last December legislation was introduced in the US House of Representives that would increase penalties for both commercial and personal copyright violations and create a new IP enforcement office in the Department of Justice. This new division, headed by a new so-called "Copyright Czar," would assist copyright holders in civil actions related to intellectual property infringement. The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property (PRO IP) Act has been widely praised for taking an important stand against commercial piracy operations, but equally criticized by consumer rights organizations for applying the same measures to non-commercial infringement. This week the bill passed in the House by an overwhelming margin (410-11), sending it to the US Senate for consideration.

The original bill, as introduced in the House Judiciary Committee last year, would have increased penalties for many works by counting each part of a compilation (each song on an album for example) as a separate violation. While this language has been removed, other questionable provisions remain. In addition to an increased role for law enforcement in the handling of civil cases, it would also allow the government to seize property from those successfully sued in copyright infringement suits but not convicted, or even accused, of any crime.

Ironically, law enforcement officials have been some of the bill's most vocal critics. At a hearing for the bill last December, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Sigal Mandelker told the House Judiciary Committee �The department has stated on past occasions that we should be careful not to divert finite resources away from our core prosecution mission merely to fuel the creation, maintenance and servicing of additional bureaucracy.�

Written by: Rich Fiscus @ 9 May 2008 12:35

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20 comments

windsong

Ah, the copyright czar. Better known as the Antichrist.

Way to go.

9.5.2008 13:16 #1

duke8888

They should rename the position to copyright Nazi LOL no soup for you

9.5.2008 14:27 #2

iluvendo

What happens when the House of Reps kids get busted for illegal file sharing?

9.5.2008 14:40 #3

svtstang

Originally posted by iluvendo: What happens when the House of Reps kids get busted for illegal file sharing?Wasn't there some publicity a few months back about Bush's daughters making him a compilation cd, and the songs on the cd were not legally obtained?

9.5.2008 15:51 #4

iluvendo

Originally posted by svtstang: Originally posted by iluvendo: What happens when the House of Reps kids get busted for illegal file sharing?Wasn't there some publicity a few months back about Bush's daughters making him a compilation cd, and the songs on the cd were not legally obtained?
Say it ain't so !!!! (LMAO !!)

If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck!
"The flimsier the product,the higher the price"
Ferengi 82nd rule of aquisition

9.5.2008 15:55 #5

nobrainer

boycott the mpaa, riaa, ect, as it's their lobbyists at their bequest, that pushed for this, the same as the DMCA and the spy act provision that allows them to install malware onto your pc and monitor you.

Spy Act of 2007 = "Vendors Can Spy Act"
Originally posted by link: "Ed Foster over at InfoWorld describes the Spy Act bill (H.R. 964) as having the same relation to the prevention of spyware that the CAN SPAM Act had to the prevention of spam. It allows exceptions for companies to utilize spyware for any number of reasons; if this bill had been law when Sony distributed their rootkit, they would have had perfect cover. Most troubling is that the bill would preempt all state laws, including those more focused on the privacy of people's data, and disallow individuals from bringing suit. It is expected to pass soon with 'strong bipartisan support.'"@ iluvendo

it is true GW had the beetles on his mp3 player

George Bush vs. The RIAA? click for more info!

The BPI Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
The RIAA Soundexchange Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, EMI.
The IFPI Are: The same anti consumer lot as listed above!
The MPAA Are: SONY, UNIVERSAL, WARNER GROUP, DISNEY, PARAMOUNT, FOX.

9.5.2008 16:07 #6

svtstang

Here ya go, the gist of it:

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/06/21/lawyer-to-riaa-sue-t.html

@nobrainer

All your posts are anti...well everything lol. I understand the obvious reasoning for disliking the mafiaa, but in your case...why so much hate?

9.5.2008 16:08 #7

nobrainer

@ svtstang

Fight apathy, or don't!

9.5.2008 16:21 #8

shummyr

Hope this never passes

9.5.2008 16:43 #9

canuckerz

There's just so many stupid points to say about this, for one clearly they just read the damn title and summary of another bill and just give it the OK like they did with that patriot bill or act that allowed the government to tap phone lines. And there are only 2 reason it was passed in the first place.

1.)Bush's dunce idea that piracy supports terrorism which got all these idiots scarred. Which is wrong because piracy doesn't support terrorism, bootlegging does.

2.)Most members of the house of representatives are going to be near computer illiterate because of their age which means they're going to be afraid of technology doing anything illegal so that alone is going to make them give the OK to anything anti-internet.

9.5.2008 17:27 #10

iluvendo

Originally posted by shummyr: Hope this never passes
Hope so too.

If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck!
"The flimsier the product,the higher the price"
Ferengi 82nd rule of aquisition

9.5.2008 18:23 #11

varnull

yup... same here because it will not stay within the borders of the USA... and will likely impact on all not usa invented or patented things...

End of free creativity and malicious lawsuit heaven. Where did I leave my AK47?

Free open source software = made by end users who want an application to work.... #1 image again.. check it out ;)

9.5.2008 18:27 #12

iluvendo

If it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck!
"The flimsier the product,the higher the price"
Ferengi 82nd rule of aquisition

9.5.2008 18:31 #13

DXR88

(@iluvendo)Oh i thought she left it next to my AR-15.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Quote:Most members of the house of representatives are going to be near computer illiterate because of their age which means they're going to be afraid of technology doing anything illegal so that alone is going to make them give the OK to anything anti-internet.they are not old the, the senate is old. its full of 90 year olds.
and its no doubt that the Nazi's that slid in this bill will use that to there advantage. however old people are stubborn, i dont think you can coax and old person.

9.5.2008 19:14 #14

Blackjax

Most of the so called reps in DC never read the bills they vote on. They have their lacky underlings do it and give them cliff notes. Remember the bill within the last 2 years that passed with a ridiculus attachment that no one would admit to writing (sorry I do not recall what it was for). The lobbyists should be banned, the terms limited, and ALL held accountable for their actions.

If this were to occur there would be no one left in DC!

Enough of the soapbox. This bill is just another piece of the big brother puzzle, 1984 a few years late! Just hope and pray that the senate doesn't pass their version before the end of the year.

edited for spelling.

10.5.2008 00:38 #15

cousinkix

Of course corrupt American politicians own MP-3 players and many of them have bootleg files on them too. Now this legislation goes to the Senate JUDICIARY COMMITTEE; whose chairman worships the GRATEFUL DEAD. Patrick Leahy bragged about his collection of BOOTLEG concert CDs on national TV, when Jerry Garcia died back in 1995.

His copyright laws are just for the little people. Why should anybody obey a law; when our corrupt rulers brag about their own crimes in front of the cameras and a live microphone? This jerk likes to crash DRUG infested jam band concerts; but he doesn't wanna legalize that stuff either. Being caught in a pot party is illegal, wether he smokes dope or not...

10.5.2008 06:01 #16

georgeluv

Originally posted by iluvendo:

Wasn't there some publicity a few months back about Bush's daughters making him a compilation cd, and the songs on the cd were not legally obtained?he had the beatles on his ipod, the beatles arent available legaly on any online distribution form. in america it is arguably a crime to circumvent copywrite protection, i say arguably because there are "fair use" exemptions, and making "archival backups" for "librarys" was amended to be legal a few years ago, presumably because librarians were bitching. those are the exact words used, librarys is very vauge, it does not stipulate public or private, my vast collection of pirated movies could be considered a private library.
most pirates dont know this, but most retail beatles cd's dont have any drm on them. in fact, im sure up until the early 2000's the beatles cds sold in stores still did not have copy protection, therefor it is highly unlikly that bush broke any laws, minor as they may be, to put the beatles tracks on his ipod.

fyi: just do a sound copy on your machine, that does not break copy protection, it just records the sound signal that is being sent out of your sound card after being decrypted legaly by whatever licenced codec was on your machine. that is a legal way to "rip" tracks from protected cds.

Originally posted by cousinkix: Of course corrupt American politicians own MP-3 players and many of them have bootleg files on them too. Now this legislation goes to the Senate JUDICIARY COMMITTEE; whose chairman worships the GRATEFUL DEAD. Patrick Leahy bragged about his collection of BOOTLEG concert CDs on national TV, when Jerry Garcia died back in 1995. your rant would hold weight if you knew that THE GREATFUL DEAD OPENLY INVITED PEOPLE TO PLUG THIER EQUIPMENT INTO THEIR AMPS TO MAKE BOOTLEG RECORDINGS, THEY GAVE LEGAL PERMISSION, ALL GREATFUL DEAD "BOOTLEGS" ARE LEGAL. other bands have done this... i think some still do. and the fact that the head of this comittee was a follower of people with such free views about music and art is actualy reasuring.

some of our reps are fighting hard for us dont worry, some senator from oregon who is on some fcc comittee flat out told every isp in america that if they dont keep the internet nuetral that they will loose all government tax shelters and basicly go instantly bankrupt.

everyone should be deathly afraid of this legislation though, hopfully our economy is so bad that any mention of extra spending sends them scrambling. imagine if the GOVERNMENT was conducting these copywrite suits and not a private corporation, who has no control over the web and has to be filtered through the governmnet to get what they want. they are streamlining the process to sui MASSIVE amounts of people and this legislation will force the government to comply with it and HELP THEM DO IT. they want to be able to take your HOUSE for refusing to pay them.

11.5.2008 00:13 #17

ZippyDSM

Originally posted by varnull: yup... same here because it will not stay within the borders of the USA... and will likely impact on all not usa invented or patented things...

End of free creativity and malicious lawsuit heaven. Where did I leave my AK47?oooo uuu in the US? *lick* :P

svtstang
my brother my brother what up my brother nobrainer is made of piss and vinger, all us black sheeple are ^_~
(ggaawww to much OW:strangers wrath....)

nobrainer
apathy eh?
you might enjoy this :X
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com/2008/05/07/2-cent-sheeple-bit/

georgeluv
The mafia got in trouble with NIN trying to police their free albums, the whole piracy thing in the US is dubious at best, the damage done at most is 30% of profit across the board this wont be saving any projects that are doomed for the chopping block becuse they are not making 200%+ profit, but the moralists with their assbackwords sense of justice will ensure the US will be a authoritarian socialistic state with corporate empires running regions unfettered... hopefully the apocalypse wont be for another 50 years :P

11.5.2008 02:19 #18

cousinkix

Quote:your rant would hold weight if you knew that THE GREATFUL DEAD OPENLY INVITED PEOPLE TO PLUG THIER EQUIPMENT INTO THEIR AMPS TO MAKE BOOTLEG RECORDINGS, THEY GAVE LEGAL PERMISSION, ALL GREATFUL DEAD "BOOTLEGS" ARE LEGAL.Not any more! You missed the point entirely. One of Jerry Garcia's HYPOCRITICAL flower children controls the committee which writes all of those FEDERAL copyright, drug and gun control laws. Patrick Leahy will pound his gavel and his friends will vote for the RIAA's new laws. Bush will sign it on his way out of of town. Leahy and his friends will remain in that District of Criminals and give you an ENEMA...

11.5.2008 08:52 #19

ZippyDSM

Quote:Quote:your rant would hold weight if you knew that THE GREATFUL DEAD OPENLY INVITED PEOPLE TO PLUG THIER EQUIPMENT INTO THEIR AMPS TO MAKE BOOTLEG RECORDINGS, THEY GAVE LEGAL PERMISSION, ALL GREATFUL DEAD "BOOTLEGS" ARE LEGAL.Not any more! You missed the point entirely. One of Jerry Garcia's HYPOCRITICAL flower children controls the committee which writes all of those FEDERAL copyright, drug and gun control laws. Patrick Leahy will pound his gavel and his friends will vote for the RIAA's new laws. Bush will sign it on his way out of of town. Leahy and his friends will remain in that District of Criminals and give you an ENEMA...capitalistic hippes...scary!

11.5.2008 09:35 #20

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