The President recently signed into law, S. 3325, “the Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property (PRO IP) Act of 2008.”  The bill had been passed bby the U.S. House by a suspension vote of 381-41.  (Those opposing included Reps. Boucher, Kucinich and Lofgren.  The vote was bipartisan, with Democrats voting 205-22 and Republicans voting 176-19.)  What was supposed to be a non-roll call vote on Saturday the 27th ended up being a roll call vote on Sunday, when a couple of members of Congress insisted on an up-and-down vote.  Being on the suspension calendar, S. 3325 needed a 2/3 vote to pass, and it did so easily.  Two days earlier the bill had passed by the Senate by voice vote. 

The final version of the bill would, among other things:More...