MESSAGE
| DATE | 2003-05-20 |
| FROM | Dave Williams
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| SUBJECT | Subject: [hangout] Brought to you by:
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The following Congressman bought and paid for by:
AOL-Time-Warner
MediaOne
Microsoft Corporation
Fox
RIAA
Sony
Walt Disney
http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-1007908.html
Congress calls to arms against pirates
By Declan McCullagh
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
May 19, 2003, 3:51 PM PT
Three members of the U.S. House of Representatives are creating a new
congressional caucus devoted to combating piracy and promoting stronger
intellectual property laws.
A letter sent to some members of Congress last Friday by Rep. Robert
Wexler, D-Fla., warned of the threat of "ever-changing technologies" and
asked colleagues if they would like to join the caucus. "The concerns of
the thousands of Americans whose livelihoods depend on intellectual
property protection are not being fully debated or addressed," said the
letter, which was obtained by CNET News.com.
A representative for Wexler said on Monday that planning for the
caucus--formally titled the Congressional Caucus on Intellectual
Property Promotion and Piracy Prevention--is still in its early stages.
"We literally just submitted the papers at the end of the last week, so
it's just in formation," the representative said, adding that many
possible Republican members have not yet been contacted.
Wexler co-sponsored a bill last year, backed by the major record labels,
that would authorize copyright holders to disable PCs used for illicit
file-trading. He also serves on the House Judiciary subcommittee that
writes copyright laws.
It's unclear what immediate effect the caucus will have on new laws
aimed at peer-to-peer (P2P) pirates, although one likely outcome is a
new focus on what has emerged as a hot topic in the 108th Congress. The
founding of the caucus comes as Congress is spending more time
scrutinizing peer-to-peer piracy. One recent House committee hearing
blamed P2P networks for spreading illegal forms of pornography, while
another fingered universities as hotbeds of widespread--and
felonious--copyright infringement.
Joining Wexler as co-founder of the caucus is Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash.,
who helped author a note last fall to 74 fellow Democrats assailing the
Linux open-source operating system's GNU General Public License as a
threat to America's "innovation and security." Smith's Ninth District
includes the Seattle surburbs near Microsoft's Redmond, Wash.,
headquarters. The third founder is Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., a first-term
congressman and former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
who was once Gov. Jeb Bush's running mate.
Hilary Rosen, chairman of the Recording Industry Association of America,
commended the move. She said in an e-mail sent to CNET News.com that the
RIAA applauds the House members "for forming this caucus and helping to
focus the national debate on protecting intellectual property and
preventing piracy. It's initiatives like this, along with those of other
congressional leaders, which help showcase the economic and cultural
contributions of the creative community while shedding light on piracy's
harmful impact."
The Motion Picture Association of America was equally positive. "We're
always grateful when members of Congress devote their attention to an
issue as critical as the protection of copyrighted works," spokesman
Rich Taylor said. "We look forward to working with this new body in the
days and weeks to come, to help create an environment where a legitimate
digital marketplace can thrive."
Hundreds of congressional caucuses exist, covering topics ranging from
the Congressional Kidney Caucus to the Congressional Natural Hazards
Caucus. Some, like the Congressional Black Caucus, are muscular enough
to take an aggressive role in legislation. Others, like the
Congressional Internet Caucus, are a way for the caucus's advisory
board--in this case, groups like AOL Time Warner, Microsoft, eBay and
the RIAA--to exert political influence.
Mike Godwin, senior technology counsel at the Public Knowledge advocacy
group, said the House subcommittee that oversees intellectual property
law "has been pretty energetic" already in reviewing the intersection of
technology and copyright policy.
"If they believe that the best way to do it is to develop a caucus
around P2P sharing, that's a fine idea," Godwin said. "As long as they
remember that P2P sharing is at the heart of the design of the
Internet."
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