[Infowarrior] - Bush Signs Law Creating Copyright Czar

[Richard Forno]

Bush Signs Law Creating Copyright Czar
By David Kravets EmailOctober 13, 2008 | 5:25:36 PMCategories:  
Intellectual Property

President Bush on Monday signed into law legislation creating a  
copyright czar, a cabinet-level position on par with the nation's drug  
czar.

Two weeks ago, the House sent the president the "Enforcement of  
Intellectual Property Rights Act" (.pdf), a measure the Senate  
approved days before creating a cabinet-level copyright czar charged  
with implementing a nationwide plan to combat piracy and "report  
directly to the president and Congress regarding domestic  
international intellectual property enforcement programs."

The White House successfully lobbied the Senate to remove language  
tasking the Department of Justice with suing copyright and trademark  
infringers on behalf of Hollywood (.pdf), the recording industry,  
manufacturers and software makers. But the Bush administration also  
said it didn't want (.pdf) a copyright czar, a position on par with  
the nation's drug czar Congress created in 1982 to wage the war on  
drugs. Lawmakers, however, sent him the package anyway and the  
president signed.

The czar is not likely to be appointed until after the elections.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/10/bush-signs-law.html