Copyright Czar Launches Anti-Piracy Campaign

Victoria Espinel, the United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, sometimes referred to as the “Copyright Czar”, has announced a round of public comment on copyright and copyright-enforcement related issues.  Specifically, Office of Management and Budget and the Executive Office of the President are seeking feedback on “Identifying the costs to the U.S. economy resulting from infringement of intellectual property rights, both direct and indirect, including any impact on the creation or maintenance of jobs,” and creation of a strategic plan for dealing with Intellectual Property infringement. Comments are to be submitted to the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at intellectualproperty@omb.eop.gov by 5 p.m. E.S.T., on March 24, 2010.

Until I received this notice and after my own experience with infringement by the National Wildlife Federation, I felt there never would be any enforcement of copyright law by the Justice Department except on behalf of large corporations. Individuals and small companies have been left with no protection, except for those who are willing and able to spend tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend their work. No one in the Bush administration Justice Department showed any interest in the plight of writers and other creative workers beyond a little lip service here and there — which is why piracy, copyright infringement, patent thefts, etc. are frequent now. Espinel's announcement is the first sign I've seen that we have people in the new administration who actually are willing to listen and to act.  The recession (depression?) may have contributed to it because the piracy epidemic has created disincentives for creative workers who are and always have been the driving force for creating jobs in a sound economy.  You are invited to submit what you know of the destructive disregard for intellectual property rights to the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at intellectualproperty@omb.eop.gov by March 24.  Also, please pass this information along to others and encourage them to respond.

We can do something about the predators who are stealing our work and destroying our livelihoods, but only if we take action.  If we don't stand up for current and future creative workers, who will? If you have questions, contact me at mailbox@johngile.com — John Gile (Read more.)

• Back to top