Over the weekend, Congress in a shameful act of service to the campaign contributions of the entertainment industry passed "PRO-IP" legislation that requires our government to work directly on the industry's behalf against the public interest. Under the deceptive banner of "intellectual property", the bill as passed has several unacceptable provisions.

Besides over $23 million in congressional campaign contributions, the industry used scare tactics to get it passed, trying to draw a connection between copyright infringement and...terrorism. The bill expresses the "Sense of Congress" as agreeing that "terrorists and organized crime utilize piracy, counterfeiting, and infringement to fund some of their activities;" and that stopping copyright infringement should be among the highest priorities of government. This attitude sets us up for a future world of Digital Restrictions Management (DRM) and large-scale seizure of computer equipment the industry accuses of being involved in filesharing.

We have one more chance to stop this bill from becoming law. Bush has yet to sign it. Given the fact that his Department of Justice publicly objected to it earlier, Bush may veto it. But we can't count on that -- your calls and e-mails to the White House could make the difference.

Take Action

Help get the word out so more people know that now is a critical time. Pass this around to your friends and family, and:

Call the White House at +1 202-456-1111 to leave your comment; then follow up with an e-mail to comments@whitehouse.gov. Please CC us at info@defectivebydesign.org.

When you call, you might say something like: