Washington - The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday approved the PRO-IP Act, a bill pushed for by Hollywood studios that would beef up law enforcement dedicated to protecting intellectual property, as well as increase penalties for piracy. "We applaud the members of the House of Representatives for passing the PRO-IP Act, H.R. 4279," said Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) president Dan Glickman. "It is a comprehensive, bipartisan measure that will strengthen our nation's economy and generate more jobs for American workers by bolstering protections for intellectual property."

The bill, which passed unanimously in the House Judiciary Committee last week, would also establish a White House-level piracy czar -- dubbed the Intellectual Property Enforcement Representative -- to coordinate law enforcement activities.

A Senate version of the bill (S. 2317) was introduced last fall.

"The ball is now in the Senate's court to make sure that this 110th Congress is remembered for taking the necessary steps to protect America's role as a global leader in innovation," said Tom Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Related Links:
http://snipurl.com/27xee (PDF: MPAA statement)

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:H.R.4279: