Czar Power

Last week, the White House released a Fact Sheet about the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property (PRO IP) Act, which passed the House by a margin of 410-11 margin, with only the most stalwart digital rights proponents (such as Dennis Kucinich and Zoe Lofgren) voting against it.

One of the more controversial aspects of the bill, as one of my students pointed out, is the creation of a "copyright czar." Pundits are now speculating that this copyright czar will be as effective (or ineffective) at combating illegal behavior as the previously ordained drug czar has been.