Washington - A U.S. House subcommittee on Thursday approved a bill that would beef up the government's protection of intellectual property, after removing a controversial provision that would have increased penalties for pirated compilation CDs by allowing each track to figure as an infringement. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property passed the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2007 (PRO IP Act), which would create a White House-level Intellectual Property Enforcement Representative, and new division within the Department of Justice, in addition to raising financial penalties for copyright infringement.

Washington - A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a new bill that would increase civil penalties for copyright infringement, bolster criminal enforcement, and create a new federal agency tasked with copyright protection, CNET News.com reported.