12 September 2008

IP Enforcement Legislation

The Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a bill that is supposed to toughen laws related to the enforcement of intellectual property rights. I am not sure I like the part in the bill about having national and international IP Enforcement Coordinators. Since when was it anyone's job to enforce IP rights except the IP owner? Not to mention, if the current problems with the Patent Office are any indication, I certainly do not want more people unfamiliar with IP enforcement overseeing the process. Harsher penalties is one thing, but getting help from the government with enforcement sounds like a really bad idea to me. No wonder the entertainment industry likes this bill so much.