CongressClods to Form Anti-Piracy Caucus

Copyright industry congressional nipple-biters are SHOCKED by prevalence of P2P:

Three members of the House of Representatives are creating a new congressional caucus devoted to combating piracy and promoting stronger intellectual property laws.

A letter sent to some members of Congress on Friday by Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., warned of the threat of “ever-changing technologies” and asked colleagues if they would like to join the caucus. “The concerns of the thousands of Americans whose livelihoods depend on intellectual property protection are not being fully debated or addressed,” said the letter, which was obtained by CNET News.com.

A representative for Wexler said Monday that planning for the caucus–formally titled the Congressional Caucus on Intellectual Property Promotion and Piracy Prevention–is still in its early stages. “We literally just submitted the papers at the end of the last week, so it’s just in formation,” the representative said, adding that many possible Republican members have not yet been contacted.

Wexler co-sponsored a bill last year, backed by the major record labels, that would authorize copyright holders to disable PCs used for illicit file-trading. He also serves on the House Judiciary subcommittee that writes copyright laws.

….Joining Wexler as co-founder of the caucus is Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., who helped author a note last fall to 74 fellow Democrats assailing the Linux open-source operating system’s GNU General Public License as a threat to America’s “innovation and security.” Smith’s district includes the Seattle surburbs near Microsoft’s Redmond, Wash., headquarters. The third founder is Rep. Tom Feeney, R-Fla., a first-term congressman and former speaker of the Florida House of Representatives who was once Gov. Jeb Bush’s running mate.

….Hundreds of congressional caucuses exist, covering topics ranging from the Congressional Kidney Caucus to the Congressional Natural Hazards Caucus. Some, like the Congressional Black Caucus, are muscular enough to take an aggressive role in legislation. Others, like the Congressional Internet Caucus, are a way for the caucus’ advisory board–in this case, groups like AOL Time Warner, Microsoft, eBay and the RIAA–to exert political influence. [CNET]

Strangely, no mention was made of the Congressional Douchebag Caucus, of which, coincidentally, all three of the piracy freaks are members. We all want creators to get paid, but legalized hacking of personal computers by the RIAA? Open-source software called a threat to America’s “innovation and security”? What planet are these dimbulbs from? Maybe the one ruled by Queen Hilary and Grand Poobah Gates.