The House Judiciary Committee has unanimously approved the Pro-IP Act, a legislative proposal which aims to impose stronger penalties for copyright infringement. The approval is no surprise, since the bill's chief sponsor is committee chairman Rep. John Conyers.

The bill would create a new position for a federal copyright enforcement czar, establish a new copyright enforcement division within the Department of Justice, and would also permit law enforcement agents to seize property from perpetrators of copyright infringement. A controversial provision in the bill—which would have significantly raised the financial penalties for infringement by allowing the recording industry to collect damages for each track copied from a CD—was removed after receiving widespread criticism from critics and intellectual property law experts.

The Judiciary Committee's approval of the bill has been welcomed by the Copyright Alliance, an industry-backed group that has lobbied fiercely for more extreme copyright protection. "The PRO IP Act contains numerous means to increase copyright enforcement both domestically as well as abroad, where the US Trade Representative's most recent report shows piracy remains rampant," said Patrick Ross, executive director of the Copyright Alliance, in a statement. "The Copyright Alliance applauds the work of the House Judiciary Committee and the leadership of Chairman John Conyers and Ranking Member Lamar Smith, for advancing this important piece of legislation today. Given the high stakes involved, we expect expedient action by the full House of Representatives."

The Pro-IP Act's property seizure issue is still contentious and viewed with serious concern by many who have studied the systematic abuses of the same practices in the War on Drugs.

Although the Judiciary Committee's approval is only the first step for the Pro-IP Act and many challenges remain before it can become a law. Its supporters are facing some time constraints, since the upcoming election will likely slow down legislative efforts in Congress. If the Pro-IP Act doesn't pass both chambers before the end of the year, they will have to start again in the following session. The content industry will likely continue its lobbying efforts in an effort to smooth out any potential speed bumps.