DoJ Looks to Fight IP Piracy


Attorney General John Ashcroft Announces Recommendations of the Justice Department’s Intellectual Property Task Force

Intellectual property theft is a clear danger to our economy and the health, safety, and security of the American people,” said Attorney General Ashcroft. “The enforcement of our intellectual property laws is among the highest priorities of the Justice Department, and I created the Intellectual Property Task Force to explore ways for us to strengthen our protection of the nation’s valuable intellectual resources. With the recommendations put forward by the Task Force, the Department is prepared to build the strongest, most aggressive legal assault against intellectual property crime in our nation’s history.”

Justice Department: Report of the Intellectual Property Task Force
News.com: Justice Dept. wants new antipiracy powers

Phil Corwin, a lobbyist for Sharman Networks, distributor of the popular Kazaa file-sharing software, said the Justice Department seems “to be endorsing a war on copyright infringement modeled in large part on the war on drugs. That should invite very close scrutiny of the recommendations.”

Andrew Raff @andrewraff