counterfeiting

A year-long study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that claims by Hollywood and the music recording industry about the devastating effect of piracy have been overblown. The GAO, the audit and investigative arm of Congress, ... was asked by lawmakers to conduct the study in 2008 because they were trying to find ways to strengthen efforts to protect intellectual property. The GAO studied digital music, movies, and software. (Source: cnet.com ) The GAO spent a year studying how piracy and illegal counterfeiting affects the United States, but still can't make any positive ... (view more)

President Bush has reportedly signed into law a controversial bill known as the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for intellectual Property (PRO IP) Act to protect American consumer rights that stiffens penalties against counterfeiting and ... piracy at the federal level. Under the law, an Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator --- referred to by some as an intellectual property czar --- will be appointed by the Senate who will report directly to the president on how to better protect copyrights both domestically and internationally, over the objections of the Justice Department that ... (view more)