Intellectual Property bill passes in the House

The House of Representatives on Sunday cleared the intellectual property enforcement bill that would create an “IP coordinator” position in the White House.

The legislation, formally known as the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act, or Pro-IP, already passed in the Senate on Friday.

The Bush administration last week sent a letter to Congress stating its opposition to certain measures, including the creation of an IP coordinator. It is unclear whether the administration supports the bill as it passed; the Commerce Department said late Friday it was still reviewing the bill.

The bipartisan legislation passed in the House 341-41, with dissenters on both sides of the aisle. The measure has received wide support from the business community, including from groups like the Recording Industry Association of America and the AFL-CIO, but it is opposed by public interest groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Public Knowledge.