Corporatism for the win: new intellectual property enforcement bill signed into law
Posted on October 14th, 2008 by bile Tags: AFL/CIO, American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations, Bush administration, Department of Justice, George W. Bush, NBC Universal, Organization for Intellectual Property Act, Recording Industry Association of America, RIAA, Senate, software algorithm, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, United States, White HousePresident Bush on Monday signed into law an intellectual-property enforcement bill that would consolidate federal efforts to combat copyright infringement under a new White House cabinet position.
The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act establishes within the executive branch the position of intellectual property enforcement coordinator, who will be appointed by the president.
The law also steepens penalties for intellectual-property infringement, and increases resources for the Department of Justice to coordinate for federal and state efforts against counterfeiting and piracy. The so-called Pro-IP Act passed unanimously in the Senate last month and received strong bipartisan support in the House.
The Bush administration initially expressed its opposition to the legislation, but one of its more contentious provisions, which would have allowed the Justice Department to pursue civil litigation against copyright infringers, was removed.
The law has received wide-ranging support from within the business community, including from the Recording Industry Association of America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and copyright holders such as NBC Universal. Labor groups such as the AFL-CIO have also expressed their support for the new law. Business and labor groups have said strong intellectual-property enforcement is critical for the development of the U.S. economy.
And who said that government was anti-monopoly? The Constitution be damned… intellectual property is not property. There is no scarcity. One can not own an idea like they can own a hammer. Many companies have trade secrets which are enforced through private contract and have kept from the public for decades. Even if you don’t agree one would have to admit that all current laws are corporatist in nature. The patent system is completely fucked. No one should be able to patent one click shopping or any other software algorithm or the genetic makeup of a house fly.
UPDATE:
The USA isn’t the only one: Court ruling strengthens patent protection for UK software
