The White House Mon. unveiled a $2.77 trillion budget for fiscal 2007 that would include new money for information technology (IT), communications security and information management programs at key agencies.
A new bill that would slap a substantial tax on online adult entertainment sales and require pornography websites to use more advanced age verification technology drew fire from critics before the ink had dried. The Internet Safety and Child Protection Act, to be unveiled today (Wed.) by Sen. Lincoln (D-Ark.), is “the silliest idea to come out of Congress in a long time,” said Progress & Freedom Foundation Senior Fellow Adam Thierer. Even the usually reticent moguls of the porn industry voiced staunch opposition. But Lincoln says it’s time the cost of guarding children online shifted from taxpayers to online smutmongers.
Catching and prosecuting international copyright pirates remains a tough problem in cyberspace, said federal law enforcement and industry sources. Despite well-publicized efforts by the entertainment industry to bust illegal file sharers in civil courts, these efforts are primarily U.S.-centric. In criminal cases, the task of convincing local law enforcement to actively pursue the bad guys takes time and finesse, experts said.
The Dept. of Justice is taking enforcement of intellectual property (IP) laws seriously but could do more to ensure IP protection remains a high priority, the DoJ Task Force on Intellectual Property concluded. The task force released a lengthy report Tues. proposing increased DoJ resources for IP and examined copyright legislation on the Hill. Without endorsing or opposing any legislation, it opposed the aim of a fair use bill by House Internet Caucus Co-Chmn. Boucher (D-Va.) and supported efforts to target inducement of copyright infringement.
The Dept. of Justice is taking enforcement of intellectual property (IP) laws seriously but could do more to ensure IP protection remains a high priority, the DoJ Task Force on Intellectual Property concluded. The task force released a lengthy report Tues. proposing increased DoJ resources for IP and examined copyright legislation on the Hill. Without endorsing or opposing any legislation, it opposed the aim of a fair use bill by House Internet Caucus Co-Chmn. Boucher (D-Va.) and supported efforts to target inducement of copyright infringement.
The Justice Dept. announced a major international Internet piracy sweep Thurs. focused on “release groups” that help distribute pirated software, movies and music, often before the products are released to the public.