Category US Domestic Legislation

IP Czar Issues Recommendations to Congress, Including Wiretaps and Greater Sentences for Infringement

IP Enforcement Coordinator Victoria Espinel has issued a white paper that lists 20 legislative recommendations to Congress for the strengthening of IP enforcment. The paper recommends increasing prison sentences for the sale of counterfeiting drugs or products sold to military and law enforcement. It recommends changing the U.S. Sentencing Guideline Range for a number of specific infringements and for “repeat intellectual property offenders.” The paper recommends felony penalties for illegal streaming, and the authorization of wiretaps for investigations of copyright infringement. Although it makes no specific recommendations related to foreign-hosted websites that distribute infringing material, the paper says that the administration is eager to work with Congress on this issue.

Senate Judiciary Committee to Hold Hearing on “Targeting Websites Dedicated To Stealing American Intellectual Property”

On February 16, 2011 at 10am the full Senate Judiciary will hold a hearing on efforts to shut down websites where IP-infringing content is hosted.  The witnesses will include representatives from Rosetta Stone, the Authors Guild, GoDaddy!, Verizon, and Visa. …