Congress calls to arms against pirates, they really don't like 'em

May 20, 2003

A congressional caucus, devoted to combating piracy and promoting stronger intellectual property laws, is being created by three members of the U.S. House of Representatives. Some members of the Congress have received a letter in which they're asked if they want to join the caucus, in order to combat the threat of ever-changing technologies:

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 yet been contacted.

It's unclear what immediate effect the caucus will have on new laws aimed at peer-to-peer (P2P) pirates, although one likely outcome is a new focus 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.

It will come as no surprise that anti-piracy groups such as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) have responded very positive on the move. Aggressive laws against piracy are on their way..?

Source: CNET News.com