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Biden Promises 'Right Person' As Copyright Czar

Posted by samzenpus on from the film-appreciation dept.

Hugh Pickens writes "Vice President Joe Biden lauded Hollywood at a gala dinner in Washington, assailed movie piracy, and promised film executives that the Obama administration would pick 'the right person' as its copyright czar. Biden warned of the harms of piracy at the private event organized by the Motion Picture Association of America in the sumptuous, newly renovated Great Hall of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. 'It's pure theft, stolen from the artists and quite frankly from the American people as consequence of loss of jobs and as a consequence of loss of income,' Biden said, according to a White House pool report. Biden addressed President Obama's forthcoming decision about who will be named the intellectual-property enforcement coordinator, better known as the copyright czar. Under a law approved by the US Congress last October, Obama is required to appoint someone to coordinate the administration's IP enforcement efforts and prepare annual reports. Copyright industry lobbyists sent a letter to the president asking him to pick someone sympathetic to their concerns, while groups that would curb copyright law sent their own letter (PDF) urging the opposite approach. We 'will find the right person for intellectual property czar,' Biden said."

2 of 492 comments (clear)

  1. Hope and Change, Fairydust and Rainbows.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Feeling suckered yet? Obama knows where to get his bread buttered, and Hollyweird is only happy enough to do it for him.

  2. Re:politics by SignalFreq · · Score: 5, Informative

    I will remind you that it was a Democrat that signed the DMCA into law.

    Yep. Under a Republican House and Senate.

    And it was Introduced by:
    Howard Coble, N.C.-R
    Henry Hyde, Illinois-R
    John Conyers, Michigan-D
    Barney Frank, Mass.-D

    Also sponsored by:

    Sonny Bono, Cali-R
    Bill McCollum, Fl-R
    Howard Berman, Cali-D
    Mary Bono, Cali-R
    Bill Paxon, NY-R
    Chip Pickering, Miss-R

    The bill passed:
    The House 297-112, Republicans: 205 Yes, 16 No, Democrats 92 Yes, 95 No
    The Senate 99-0, Republicans 54 Yes, Democrats 45 Yes

    http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/105/house/2/votes/69/
    http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/105/senate/2/votes/137/

    So yeah, looks like Hollywood spread the donations around to both parties. At least more than half of the House Democrats voted no.