This column originally appeared in the Champaign News-Gazette October 23, 2011 Reproduced by permission of The News-Gazette, Inc. – Permission does not imply endorsement. My friend, the late, great Muscle Shoals songwriter Robert Byrne, once told me, “A hit song is an act of God.” I’m glad I didn’t under­stand the full ramifications of that [...]

Journalist and author Robert Levine describes himself as a passionate music fan (while speaking with AdWeek this week, he was browsing the vinyl selection at a record store in Nashville) who has also been interested in technology most of his life, and has been lucky enough to cover the intersection of those topics for a [...]

Congressional leaders are asking that IP protection and market access for technology products be key elements discussed with Russian officials as Russia pursues accession to the World Trade Organization.  The Chairmen and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Committees with jurisdiction over international trade this weekend expressed concern regarding these issues in a letter [...]

Guilds and associations representing artists, publishers, songwriters and record labels have issued a statement regarding the erroneous attacks by the so-called “freebieber” website against a bill aimed at protecting artists rights: Statement from: American Federation of Musicians, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, National Music Publishers’ Association, Recording Academy, and the Recording Industry Association [...]

Gary Shapiro, President of the Consumer Electronics Association, jumped on the misinformation bandwagon with a blog yesterday that appears to have been posted before a House bill was even introduced.  He shepherded a group of Silicon Valley venture capitalists around the Hill today on a CEA sponsored lobbying campaign against the Stop Online Piracy Act [...]

The U.S. House of Representatives today introduced H.R. 3261, The Stop Online Piracy Act, a bipartisan bill that would promote prosperity, creativity, entrepreneurship and innovation by combating the theft of U.S. intellectual property. Eight members joined House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI), IP Subcommittee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Rep. Howard [...]

Sorry to stick that “round and round, round and round” tune into your head, but it seems appropriate for the activity of the last several days by a small but vocal cadre of technorati who are amping up the drama and fear factor related to enforcement of copyright laws online. First, a “new” group called [...]

This week’s bipartisan approval of three free trade agreements was met with applause from some members of the Copyright Alliance. Especially welcome in the trade agreements – made with South Korea, Panama and Columbia – are provisions designed to deter the theft of U.S. intellectual property and to create better access to world markets for [...]

The Copyright Alliance’s Sandra Aistars joined individuals representing a broad spectrum of business and workers this morning on Capitol Hill to explain for lawmakers the real-world impact of web sites trafficking in pirated and counterfeited products. It was the second in a series of educational meetings and briefings coordinated by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s [...]

The Copyright Alliance is among the signatories of a letter the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center today delivered to Capitol Hill urging Congressional action on the PROTECT IP Act.  The letter is signed by 359 companies, businesses, and professional organizations representing a broad range of industries in all 50 states. From pharmaceuticals [...]