Business, labor urge Bush to sign RIAA-backed copyright bill

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With only five days left for President Bush to decide whether to sign into law a controversial copyright bill, business lobbyists and even the AFL-CIO are pushing for it to become law. Most bills to expand copyright law are bipartisan -- one aimed at file-swappers and prerelease movies in 2005 comes to mind -- and the so-called Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act is no exception. Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) are the sponsors, and it enjoys the support of the Recording Industry Association of America. But the Pro-IP Act is unusual because the Bush administration threatened a veto last month. It's been subsequently amended, and the changes are likely to assuage the administration's concerns, but the U.S. Commerce Department told CNET News that it is still reviewing the revised language. While industries have been defensively adapting to a globalized economy and game-changing technologies, intellectual property holders are on the offense. The messages from companies like Procter & Gamble and NBC Universal are being carefully tailored to reveal the benefits of bolstering IP protections -- whether it's a promise to US politicians of more jobs, better products for consumers, or faster development for leaders abroad.


Business, labor urge Bush to sign RIAA-backed copyright bill