Re: [C-FIT_Community] Congressional Caucus Against "Piracy"

thank you, Seth - it sounds like a good idea...
maybe Declan would be willing to send us a copy....?

best
m~

Seth Johnson wrote:
> (Forwarded from Pho list, thanks to iriXx and Declan.  Can we get a copy of
> this letter?  -- Seth)
> 
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: pho: So much for your elected representatives!
> Date: Tue, 20 May 2003 00:43:39 +0100
> From: iriXx <[email protected]>
> Reply-To: [email protected]
> Organization: iriXx
> To: [email protected]
> 
> forwarded from DMCA_discuss...
> 
> ----------  Forwarded Message  ----------
> 
> Congress calls to arms against pirates
> By Declan McCullagh
> Staff Writer, CNET News.com
> May 19, 2003, 10:51 PM PT
> 
> 
> Now it's official: Congress really doesn't like Internet piracy.
> 
> Three members of the 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 been contacted yet.
> 
> 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 P2P pirates, although one likely outcome is to focus attention
> 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' advisory
> board--in this case, 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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