Bush Creates Post for Anti-Piracy Chief

According to a White House personnel anouncement, President Bush intends to appoint Christian Israel, of Virginia, to be Coordinator for International Intellectual Property Enforcement at the Department of Commerce. Israel currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff at the Department of Commerce and was previously Deputy Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy. Prior to joining the Department of Commerce, Israel was Deputy Director of International Public Policy for Time Warner, Inc. According to a Reuters report in The Washington Post, China—where 90 percent of music and movies are pirate copies—will be a chief priority for the new anti-piracy chief. In its coverage of the news, Internetnews.com quoted Jim Prendergast, executive director of Americans for Technology Leadership, in a statement praising the appointment: “The creation of a senior-level position to coordinate the battle against global piracy and the protection of our intellectual property sends a critical message to countries like China, Brazil and Russia, which have been lax in their enforcement of IP protections.”

—Sandy Kendall