Hopes for "real" reform of the copyright policy regarding the internet have faded when Representative Howard L. Berman "was named chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees the Internet and intellectual property" (para. 1). Mitchell notes that Lawrence Lessig stated on his blog that change is needed "to fit the legitimate objectives of copyright -- to assure that artists have the incentives they need to create great new work -- into the contours of digital technology" (para. 2). Mr. Berman is known as not being an advocate for copyright reform. He once proposed a bill in the committee that would allow copyright holders to hack into and infringe on peer to peer sharing; allowing copyright holders to destroy personal computers. Mitchell simply states that putting Mr. Berman in charge of this type of committee just doesn't make sense. In another section of the article Mitchell talks about the fact that purchasing of electronic media was at its highest on Christmas day meaning that many people are choosing to download songs legally rather than getting them illegally. With the release of Microsoft's Zune, their store's hits are up too, but not as much as Apple's iTunes.
"Copyrights and Congress" by Dan Mitchell: NY Times January 6, 2007