The story relates to the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007, as submitted by the U.S. Department od Justice, from the Office of the Assistant Attorney General. The actual act is located here : http://politechbot.com/docs/doj.intellectual.property.protection.act.2007.051407.pdf
Now, the News.com editorial staff makes this following statement :
The Bush administration is throwing its support behind a proposal called the Intellectual Property Protection Act of 2007, which is likely to receive the enthusiastic support of the movie and music industries...
I highlighted the important part... because I don't buy it, not for one second. Lets just examine history here for a minute... How many times have Conservative Republicans been portrayed as reasonable people in recent movies? On networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC, how many of the shows portray Conservatives, Republicans, or Christians in a good light? How many times is the Conservative Republican the... "good guy."
You aren't going to find it. When you get guys who hold Conservative Ideas, say like Drew Carey, they get pressed to not espouse their views on their shows. In some cases, the shows get pulled from the air if the content is too "Conservative." How about the outright rage from Hollywoods finest when it was discovered that Rush Limbaugh knew some people on the hit show 24? I can think of several heated rants like this one: Rush Limbaugh was scripting 24, oh no, we must no longer watch this Conservative propaganda.
So... News.com wants me to believe that the Movie industry is going to get in lockstop with the Political party that is openly reviled by "Movie Stars" on a near daily basis. That the producers who are more Anti-Bush than Nancy Pelosi are going to support a bill backed by the Bush Administration? I don't buy it... not for one second.
That's like Hitler saying he'd get behind a Jewish Chancellor for Germany in 1940.
I'm not buying the Music industries support either. Like their MPAA cousins, RIAA artists and producers are not exactly lining up to play the White House. I can think of several "popular" bands that have had less than pleasant things to say about the current administration. It's not exactly a secret that the political alignments of the RIAA are in line with Nancy Pelosi...
So, I'm not buying the idea that the RIAA, which hates the Bush Administrations guts, are going to be in lockstep with any proposals submitted by anybody attached to the Bush Adminstration.
That being said, I'm not exactly sure what all is IN the IPPA of 2007. I am not a lawyer, and I tend to get cranky just piecing together the financial reports from Microsoft and Sony.
What I can tell you is this though... read it yourself. Make your own decision about what it does say, or does not say.
It would be my advice to get in touch with your representative in Congress and get their opinion about what THEY read in the act.
Okay, this act may be a cold turkey of a bill. But, keep in mind, the Bush Administration has made several feints before, such as the one that got the current AG in office. Also keep in mind that there are heavy lobbying interests at work, and keep in mind who does directly fund those lobbying interests.
Also keep in mind who might sponsor the IPPA, what names might be attached to it. Then decide if those who do put their names on the IPPA hold the same beliefs you do. If they don't, consider how you voted.
But anytime anybody tells you that hard-core Liberal Democrats are going to jump in line with Conservative Republicans? Better back up a step and make sure you have all the facts in hand.
