Emailed to Senator Coleman and Klobuchar.
Dear Senator -
I am writing to echo the concerns of the Public Knowledge and the American Library Association, among others, about S. 3325, the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008.
While I understand the need to protect intellectual property in order to preserve an incentive to create, I believe this bill would place copyright law more out of balance than it is currently.
Certainly, companies should be able to assert their property rights. However, the government should not be trying cases on behalf of the media companies. Not only would this grant copyright owners unneeded resources it would give them an unfair advantage, it would strip defendants of certain advantages without justification.
The provisions on forfeiture and impounding are also troubling.
The purpose of intellectual property law is two-fold, to protect the rights of property owners and to allow for the reasonable reuse of material. Ultimately, what is most important is that intellectual property law benefits society as a whole. Concentrating on punishment and penalties ignores this. Please oppose these provisions, in favor of balanced intellectual property law.
Sincerely,
Megan Carney
