14 DAY TRIAL // The Entertainment Software Association, the trade association which represents the video game publishers active in the United States, has endorsed the decision of the United States Congress to approve a bill called the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act of 2008, also known as the PRO-IP Act, which is set to help reduce the level of piracy.
The law is also praised by the Recording Industry Association of America and the Motion Picture Association of America, which have been lobbying heavily in its favor since it was introduced in Congress; its main immediate consequence will be the setting up of a new “IP czar”, a leader in the fight against piracy that will report directly to the President.
The PRO-IP Act will also provide resources for the FBI and the Department of Justice, which will be used to protect intellectual property, will instruct the U.S. Attorney General to develop and implement plans that target criminal syndicates that specialize in piracy and will generally direct law enforcement agencies to do more regarding intellectual property theft.
Michael Gallagher, the president and Chief Executive Officer of the ESA, said that “Disabling those organizations requires a coordinated and cross-border approach to enforcement, which this legislation clearly promotes. In uncertain economic times, the video game industry continues to show strength. Our year-to-date U.S. sales are up over 30 percent from last year. Effective enforcement of IP laws helps protect this engine of economic growth. More legitimate game sales mean more game-related jobs up and down the value chain”.
Several groups which advocate the rights of authors and the rights to fair use of copyrighted material have opposed the bill, saying that it mainly serves the interest of big companies while doing little to protect those that create intellectual property and the users of media content.