Senate Judiciary Committee

Senate Committee Approves Bill on Copyright Enforcement

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 11, 2008 - 11:03am.

Washington - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008, which would give the Justice Dept. authority to prosecute civil copyright cases, expand seizure powers in civil copyright cases, and create a Cabinet-level "piracy czar" to coordinate all of the government's various anti-piracy initiatives. The bill was lauded by Hollywood, and criticized by librarians and consumer and digital civil liberties groups including Public Knowledge and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who in a joint letter sent to the Committee called the bill an "enormous gift of federal resources to large copyright owners with no demonstration that the copyright owners are having difficulties enforcing their own rights."

Senate Judiciary Committee Postpones Vote on Controversial "Induce Act"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 7, 2004 - 2:52am.

Washington -- The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday postponed a vote on a controversial bill that would potentially outlaw any technology that could be used to "induce" copyright infringement. Various versions of the "Induce Act" were roundly criticized by technology and consumer groups in letters sent to Congress on Wednesday, which apparently had the effect of stalling the bill for the time being. Critics said the bill, which its authors say is intended to quell piracy on peer-to-peer file-sharing networks, would also potentially outlaw devices such as the iPod or PC, which could be argued "induce" consumers to commit copyright infringement, and roll back the landmark 1984 Betamax court decision, which said the VCR was legal because it provided substantial non-infringing uses. "Every one of the half-dozen drafts proposed would make fundamental changes to copyright law, with potentially enormous impact on innovation, creativity, and competition," the Center on Democracy and Technology wrote in a letter to the bill's sponsor, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). "Given the short period over which (the bill) has been discussed, the absence of hearings on the new language, and the overall lack of opportunity for the public to comment, we believe it would be in the best interests of all parties to allow a more orderly process to go forward." CNET News.com reported that negotiations this week between the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which lobbied for the Induce Act, and technology firms on issues pertaining to the proposed legislation broke down without reaching any consensus.

tags: Postpones | Senate Judiciary Committee | Vote on Controversial Induce Act |