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Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008 Overview

Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008 Overview

Intellectual property rights are extremely important to
the United States and its citizens. Intellectual property comes about as a
result of creativity and hard work. Pirates look to infringe on intellectual
property rights achieved through copyright certifications. To better combat
copyright infringement in the United States and in foreign lands, the
Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008
was created and passed by Congress. The
Act calls
for harsher penalties for violators, more restitution for victims and far
greater organization and effort toward battling international piracy.

Background

The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for
Intellectual Property Act of 2008 was passed so the United States would be
better equip
ped to
prevent international piracy. The
Act called for a new executive branch known as
the Office of the United States Intellectual Property Enforcement
Representative.

In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed intellectual
property scholar Victoria A. Espinel to be the first Intellectual Property
Enforcement Coordinator. This position is sometimes referred to as the
Copyright Czar. New
technology has made piracy easier for criminals to conduct and not get caught. This
new
Act sets up
agencies around the world to enforce piracy laws as well as learn how to stop
pirates electronically.

International Implications

Certain sections of the 2008 Act are
included to directly protect intellectual property rights from being violated
by members of foreign countries. The exporting and importing of pirated
copyrighted material is now illegal. The Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual
Property and the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office have set
up agencies to help educate and train foreign officials in preventing piracy.
They are also trained to help enforce copyright laws.

Internet grant programs are to be set up under the 2008 Act. They
are going to attempt to stop computer hackers from stealing copyrighted material.
The
Attorney General is
also now responsible for deciding which piracy cases to hear. Penalties can be
adjusted based on individual cases.

Societal Implications

The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for
Intellectual Property Act of 2008 will bring harsher penalties for those who
commit copyright infringement. It also allows for copyright owners to sue those
who violate their intellectual property rights. The provision allowing for
civil suits to be filed regarding copyright infringement was originally denied
but then approved by
Congress.

The Intellectual property Act of 2008 allows
special penalties to be placed on repeat violators of copyright infringement.
Also, those who conspire to involve other people to join them in a piracy plan
will face harsher criminal charges. The same goes for anyone who provides
materials and services that aid in completing a piracy operation.

The 2008 Act has a provision that includes the public
along with
Congress
and the
President
as those who must have access to the yearly plan set in place by agencies
formed under the
Act. This way, both the public and creators of
original work know what kind of effort is being placed on protecting their
intellectual property rights.