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Little bit of history, going back to 2008: President Bush signed into law legislation creating a copyright czar, a cabinet-level position on par with the natio

Little bit of history, going back to 2008: President Bush signed into law legislation creating a copyright czar, a cabinet-level position on par with the nation’s drug czar http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/10/bush-signs-law/ http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/10/bush-signs-law/ MPAA Urges Obama to Embrace Internet Filtering http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/12/mpaa-urging-oba/ http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2008/12/mpaa-urging-oba/ Obama Administration Announces Massive Piracy Crackdown http://www.dailytech.com/Obama+Administration+Announces+Massive+Piracy+Crackdown/article18815.htm http://www.dailytech.com/Obama+Administration+Announces+Mass... Obama-administration: piracy is flat unadulterated theft http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/08/obama-administration-piracy-is-flat-unadulterated-theft.ars http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/08/obama-admini... U.S. to target foreign websites in anti-piracy push http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65L3YN20100622 http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65L3YN20100622

SkyMarshal 15y ago
Off topic linguistic nitpick, but does it ever irk anyone else that America refers to these people as 'Czar'? I assume the term is meant to imply absolute power to cut through red tape, prosecute a particular policy objective (drug war, etc.), and just get shit done which all Americans appreciate, but still, couldn't the 'land of the free' come up with a better term for our public servants than that used for deposed Russian authoritarian despots?
- pivo 15y ago
  That really bothers me too. At best it's ignorant, at worst it's a grave portent.
seclorum 15y ago
You have to understand, this is a national security interest because the US isn't making much money these days, from anything other than exporting its intellectual property. What else does America export besides weapons of mass destruction, pharmaceuticals, and Hollywood? Not much, kids.

SkyMarshal 15y ago

Off topic linguistic nitpick, but does it ever irk anyone else that America refers to these people as 'Czar'? I assume the term is meant to imply absolute power to cut through red tape, prosecute a particular policy objective (drug war, etc.), and just get shit done which all Americans appreciate, but still, couldn't the 'land of the free' come up with a better term for our public servants than that used for deposed Russian authoritarian despots?

pivo 15y ago
That really bothers me too. At best it's ignorant, at worst it's a grave portent.

seclorum 15y ago

You have to understand, this is a national security interest because the US isn't making much money these days, from anything other than exporting its intellectual property. What else does America export besides weapons of mass destruction, pharmaceuticals, and Hollywood? Not much, kids.