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Copyright Czar's Fate in Bush's Hands; Veto Looms

By Ryan Singel, Kevin Poulsen, Sarah Lai Stirland, Kim Zetter, and David Kravets

President Bush is opposing legislation creating a so-called copyright czar and might veto the measure.

The House on Sunday sent the president the " Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act," (.pdf) a measure the Senate approved Friday creating a cabinet-level copyright czar charged with implementing a nationwide plan to combat piracy and "report directly to the president and Congress regarding domestic international intellectual property enforcement programs."

The White House successfully lobbied the Senate to remove language tasking the Department of Justice with suing copyright and trademark infringers on behalf of Hollywood, (.pdf) the recording industry, manufacturers and software makers. But the Bush administration also doesn't want a copyright czar, a position on par with the nation's drug czar Congress created in 1982 to wage the War on Drugs. Lawmakers, however, sent him the package anyway.

The proposed copyright czar, a position which requires Senate confirmation, "constitutes a legislative intrusion into the internal structure and composition of the president's administration. This provision is therefore objectionable on constitutional separation of powers grounds," the White House wrotelawmakers.

That was code for the Bush administration being in no mood to commence another war, this one the War on Piracy. The government is too busy battling the War on Terror and the War on Drugs.

Whether the United States is winning the War on Terror is classified and can be neither confirmed nor denied.

The War on Drugs, however, is another story. Whether it's a winner or loser is open to interpretation.

According to 2007 Bureau of Justice Statistics, about 84 percent of high school seniors reported they could obtain marijuana "fairly easily or very easily." When it came to amphetamines, the number was 50 percent, 47 percent for cocaine, 37 percent for crack and 28 percent for LSD.

Illustration psd

See Also:

• Senate Passes Bill Creating 'Copyright Czar'
• Proposed Copyright Law a 'Gift' to Hollywood, Info Groups Say
• Judge: Copyright Owners Must Consider 'Fair Use' Before Sending ...
• Meet the Latest Copyright Scofflaw -- Meet the GOP
• Judge Declares Mistrial in RIAA-Jammie Thomas Trial
• Thomas Mistrial Decision Bolsters RIAA Litigation

Full post as published by Threat Level on September 29, 2008 (boomark / email).