The United States House of Representatives has now passed an intellectual property protection initiative.
The Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property (PRO-IP; H.R. 4279) Act passed 410-11 on Thursday, a lopsided tally that reflects serious support for the measure.
The bill steps up intellectual property protections on a number of fronts, increases penalties for infringing parties, and creates a White House protection representative. That represents a victory for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which has been pushing aggressively for passage. Meanwhile, the Senate is also considering a similar initiative, one that will potentially receive approval within the next few months.