U.S. Representative Lamar Smith of Texas has introduced the Intellectual Property Attache Act, which “revives one of the sneakier portions of SOPA to create a global intellectual property task force, charged with aggressively promoting anti-piracy law around the world,” reports TechCrunch.
Open Internet advocates are concerned the new proposal may represent some of the over-reaching principles that served as the basis of SOPA. Proponents of the bill have suggested it would streamline a complex system of management.
Additional concern has been expressed that the bill is being fast-tracked without time for public debate. And several public advocacy groups have suggested that we already have enough federal entities that address IP regulations.
“The specifics of the bill appear to go further than the version in SOPA,” suggests Techdirt in a related post. “It is clear that the bill itself is framed from the maximalist perspective. There is nothing about the rights of the public, or of other countries to design their own IP regimes.”
“The bill also ‘elevates’ the IP attaches out of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and sets them up as their own agency, including a new role: the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property,” adds Techdirt.
According to an email from one of Smith’s aides, the bill is not a follow-up to SOPA. “The bill that the Committee currently is working on is a narrow piece of legislation to ensure better use of Patent and Trademark Office funds,” states the e-mail. “The current draft increases organizational efficiency at the PTO and moves the IP attache program squarely within the PTO to ensure direct accountability of the IP attaches.”
Surprising to some, Representative Darrell Issa (who we earlier reported had posted a proposed Digital Bill of Rights online and was recently the first politician to sign the Declaration of Internet Freedom), has announced his support of the IP Attache Act, but is seeking to exempt “clear IP exceptions like fair use,” according to a statement from his office.
Issa was a vocal opponent to SOPA and similar proposed legislation.
U.S. Representative Lamar Smith of Texas has introduced the Intellectual Property Attache Act, which “revives one of the sneakier portions of SOPA to create a global intellectual property task force, charged with aggressively promoting anti-piracy law around the world,” reports TechCrunch.
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