I always love talking about free markets, and miss daily hallway conversations on that subject from my think tank days. So I was delighted to come across a new publication (PDF) by the Washington Legal Foundation in which the Honorable Dick Thornburgh, now with K & L Gates, discusses the state of intellectual property in [...]

As readers of this blog likely know already, yesterday President Bush signed into law the PRO-IP Act of 2008. We were quick to praise the President and the White House, who joined with an overwhelmingly bipartisan coalition in Congress in support of this important legislation.
Early next year the new president should be appointing an [...]

The intellectual property rights enforcement bill, S. 3325, passed the US Senate Friday and the US House on Sunday. This legislation, once signed by the President, will give new tools to federal, state and local officials to enforce existing copyright laws and thus defend the rights of creators and copyright owners.
After moving to the House, [...]

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office held a public meeting on the proposed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement today, a process we have encouraged. The meeting was yet another example of the transparency they’ve demonstrated throughout this process. USTR has from the beginning informed everyone — and I mean everyone, since they post on their web site — [...]

We’re at a critical economic moment right now. Obviously the eye-opening upheaval on Wall Street should be of immediate attention to policymakers, but that’s not the crossroads of which I’m thinking.
The critical moment I’m thinking of is very real and can have long-term economic ramifications. If we act, it will mean saving potentially hundreds of [...]

It is in my humble opinion a no-brainer that everybody wins when copyright laws are better enforced. Creators see their rights upheld. Both creators and their partners in distribution earn more due to a decrease in lost sales. Federal, state and local governments see tax revenue increases as goods that are taxed (legitimate creative works) [...]

Last week the presidential campaign for Senator John McCain (R-AZ) released a long-awaited technology position paper, which followed one from the presidential campaign of Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) issued late last year. So how do the two candidates square off on copyright?
Here’s an excerpt from McCain’s position paper:
The entertainment industry is both a vital sector [...]

Rights are worthless if they aren’t enforced. When copyright owners and creators see their rights as having meaning through enforcement, all of society wins through creation of new works. We also benefit from more jobs and more tax revenues and investment in the US economy, benefits that cannot be understated given this country’s current economic [...]

You know the cliche in movies and TV shows where one character distracts another by looking aside and saying “What’s that?” only to punch the other character while he’s distracted? I see that a lot in the comments sections of news columns and blogs dealing with copyright.
In this BBC News column, for example, Darren Waters [...]

All the right things were said at this morning's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on copyright protection. (Find witness testimony and the opening statement of Chairman Patrick Leahy [D-VT] here.) The focus of this hearing was the health risks of copyright, including unsafe electronics with fake UL approval labels, counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and knockoff automobile parts such as brake pads or timing belts. The witnesses mentioned the growing role the Internet plays in facilitating this counterfeiting. The hearing served three important purposes: 1) It emphasized that IP enforcement enjoys strong bipartisan support. 2) It showed that there are real dangers associated with counterfeiting.