New Pro-IP Act: Part 2 of 2
The new Pro-IP Act makes current copyright laws more strict, in a sense. For instance, any property used to commit (or facilitate the commission of) a criminal offense involving copyrighted works may be seized. This provision amends ยง506 of the existing Copyright Act. Also, it makes it unlawful to export unauthorized copies of protected works from the U.S.
The new Pro-IP Act amps up enforcement efforts against counterfeiting and piracy. One of the ways it achieves this is that the Act creates a position, appointed by the President: the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IPEC), within the Executive branch. The role of the IPEC is to develop & implement a Joint Strategic Plan to combat counterfeiting and piracy. In addition, the Act increases funding and resources to enforce copyright laws.
Not surprisingly, copyright holders, owners, and registrants are happy about these stricter laws that protect them and their works. However, public advisory groups and those advocating for more access to creative works educational settings are concerned that this new law does not benefit groups that it intends to benefit, namely, the public and students. Some criticisms are regarding the increase in expected litigation, making it cost-prohibitive to give the public or students access to a greater variety of creative works. Another concern is that the PRO-IP Act is of more benefit to big media companies, rather than the public and independent artists.
