Pirates, Off-Shore Drilling Concerns

Off-shore drilling, immigration and protection of copyrights were among the issues discussed by Congressman Howard Berman at a breakfast event Aug. 14 sponsored by the Valley Industry & Commerce Association. As chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property, Berman has taken a lead on working to prevent copyright material theft. The House passed a bill that would consolidate enforcement of copyright protections. That bill is now before the Senate. Pirated audio and video content costs millions each year to individual artists and the large entertainment companies releasing the content, Berman said. Technology has made it easier to copy and distribute digital files of music and movies, and now law enforcement needs to crack down on pirated shipments of DVDs, and federal prosecutors need to file charges against the pirates, said Berman. “A couple of key prosecutions would have a chilling effect on what people do,” he said. When asked his views on off-shore drilling, Berman said he would be open to it but only as part of a larger overall energy plan that would reduce the U.S. reliance on foreign oil and fossil fuels. Statements by the presumptive presidential candidates on the matter are only a political game, Berman said, and the federal government has not shown an effort to develop a serious alternative energy plan. While he wouldn’t like more off-shore drilling, he has faith that technology would make it as safe as possible, Berman said.