Biden’s IP Task Force: Reactions
Earlier today we dropped the IP bomb from Digital Music News about Biden’s New Intellectual Property Task Force.
This is becoming a hot-button issue today so I wanted to share a few of the opinions I found around today. To keep a pseudo-realism about the following opinions, I would highly recommend reading this brief post from Mike Masnick’s Techdirt.
Moving on, here are some more “official” statements from affected parties.. please make sure to take these with a not-so-small grain of salt.
From the COPYRIGHT ALLIANCE:
“The formation of a new task force dedicated to intellectual property enforcement is welcome news from the Department of Justice. Attorney General Eric Holder is exactly right that intellectual property crime threatens our economic wellbeing. Millions of Americans in all 50 states depend on intellectual property rights and enforcement for their livelihoods. It is our hope that this task force will be a source of leadership and innovation, approaching the task with an open view of what might be achieved through technology, enforcement and policy.
“The Administration’s work to date on improving effectiveness and efficiency across the federal government has been heartening and is warmly embraced by the copyright community.”
– yes, strong advocates for hardcore enforcement see this as a welcome change, but perhaps their enthusiasm is based partially on their inability to see a solution that doesn’t involve strict legislative action.
From Gigi B. Sohn, president and co-founder of Public Knowledge
“Today the Justice Department announced the formation of a new Intellectual Property Task Force. We hope the DoJ is intent on focusing this task force on prosecuting mass illegal reproduction of copyrighted material such as CDs and DVDs. At the same time, we believe it would be a mistake, and a misuse of government resources, for the Department to pursue cases against non-commercial consumer activity.
“The Department noted the Task Force is being formed as a result of a summit meeting held by Vice President Biden, at which most of the discussion was held behind closed doors with industry representatives. We noted at the time that no consumer representatives were allowed to participate in that meeting, nor was anyone present who would speak for a balanced copyright policy. We look forward to the Administration taking the time to examine both sides of these very contentious issues.”
– good point. Copyright enforcement MUST (according U.S. Copyright law) reinforce BOTH the protection of original works of authorship AND the encouragement of the sciences and useful arts
From the NMPA:
“Music publishers and songwriters applaud the news today that the Department of Justice is launching a task force to focus on intellectual property enforcement. The effort will bring together leaders from throughout the department to coordinate approach and maximize impact of efforts to combat theft. The importance of this kind of department-wide cooperation cannot be overstated, both operationally and as a signal of the Attorney General’s commitment to tackling the issue.
“The music industry has felt acutely the impact of large-scale infringement. We appreciate the attention to this issue by the Attorney General and other Administration leaders.”
And lastly, the venerable RIAA:
“This is welcome news. Efforts to strengthen the coordination and deployment of the extensive resources of the federal government to better protect the jobs and creativity of the entertainment community is a very useful step. We’re grateful for the ongoing efforts of the Administration.”
– I would be more surprised if the NMPA/RIAA was against such a task force.
