Tech News - US Creates IP Police

Attorney General Eric Holder Friday announced the creation of a Justice Department intellectual property task force to better tackle domestic and international piracy and other IP crimes. "The rise in intellectual property crime in the United States and abroad threatens not only our public safety but also our economic well being," Holder said in a statement. "This Task Force will allow us to identify and implement a multi-faceted strategy with our federal, state and international partners to effectively combat this type of crime."

The task force, which will be headed by the deputy attorney general, will focus on improving coordination with state, local and international law enforcement officials and monitoring and coordinating the department's IP enforcement efforts with increased attention to the link between IP crimes and international organized crime. In addition, the task force will help formulate new policies aimed at addressing the evolving technological and legal issue surrounding IP crimes.

The department said the new task force emerged out of a White House meeting hosted by Vice President Biden in December, which included Holder and other members of the president's Cabinet as well as executives from the movie studios, record companies, book publishers and television networks. Biden said in a statement that the Obama administration "is committed to stronger and stricter enforcement of intellectual property rights, and this new task force is a step in the right direction."

Groups that represent copyright-based industries applauded the department's move. "We are grateful to Attorney General Holder for recognizing the importance of preventing the theft of creative content and enforcing laws against piracy," Motion Picture Association of America President and interim CEO Bob Pisano said in a statement. Business Software Alliance President Robert Holleyman highlighted the importance of IP enforcement, saying a 10 percent reduction in global software piracy over the next four years would "generate 600,000 new jobs and $24 billion in higher tax revenues worldwide."

But Public Knowledge President Gigi Sohn urged the task force to balance consumer rights with the enforcement of IP laws, saying "it would be a mistake, and a misuse of government resources, for the department to pursue cases against non-commercial consumer activity."

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