Legislative News

A change in the leadership of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property could have a major impact on movie studios and television networks. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the current chairman of the committee, Rep. Howard Berman, a California Democrat, is likely to resign his position in order to assume leadership of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. This means that Rep. Rick Boucher, a Democrat from Virginia, would assume leadership of the IP committee. While Rep. Berman is generally seen as supportive of the "content industries," Rep. Boucher has often sided with consumers and electronics manufacturers on issues relating to copyright protection and fair use.