Patrick Ross

Of interest are a select assortment of recent TV, radio and print clips (up to date as of July 2007):

"New Bill Backs Prison Time for Piracy 'Attempts,'" CNET News.com, July 31, 2007 -- "A relatively new Washington-based group called the Copyright Alliance, which counts both of the entertainment industry groups and a number of others among its membership, also applauded the bill's introduction. Executive director Patrick Ross said in a statement that Chabot 'is to be commended for his effort to strengthen enforcement of creators' rights, such as increased resources for law enforcement and the reduction of international trafficking in pirated goods.'"

"Rep. Chabot's Anti-Piracy Bill Draws Criticism," National Journal's Technology Daily, July 30, 2007 -- "Patrick Ross, who heads the Copyright Alliance, also lauded the legislation, noting that Chabot's role on the Small Business Committee is relevant given that millions of creators work for small companies or are self-employed. 'This effort to reduce the serious threat of piracy likely will be the first of several legislative attempts this Congress,' Ross said.

"US Copyright Alliance Hits out at Gowers," CMU Daily (UK), July 30, 2007 -- "Following renewed criticism of Gowers by the UK record industry last week, and new criticism for the government's decision to follow Gowers, the Washington-based Alliance said in a statement on Friday: 'While the Gowers Review, commissioned and authored last year, contains positive recommendations regarding domestic and international enforcement against piracy it also contains certain misconceptions regarding copyright and, in overlooking the discrepancy in authors' rights, unfairly discriminates against performers.'"

"Copyright Alliance Criticizes Gowers Review," Billboard, July 27, 2007 -- "'While the Gowers Review, commissioned and authored last year, contains positive recommendations regarding domestic and international enforcement against piracy,' writes Copyright Alliance executive director Patrick Ross in a statement, 'it also contains certain misconceptions regarding copyright and, in overlooking the discrepancy in authors' rights, unfairly discriminates against performers.'"

"U.K. Won't Lobby EU for Longer Copyright Term for Sound Recordings," Washington Internet Daily, July 27, 2007 -- "'The department's support for the Gowers review 'has given the Copyright Alliance pause,' said Executive Director Patrick Ross. Gowers's enforcement recommendations were constructive, but the report contained 'misconceptions' about copyright and unfairly discriminated against performers, Ross said. Legislators must understand a fundamental point, he said: 'Copyright isn't anti-consumer.'"

"Congress Keeps Tabs on Campuses," Variety, July 25, 2007 -- "The Copyright Alliance also voiced support for Reid’s effort. 'We at the Copyright Alliance believe enactment of this amendment would in a few short years lead to significantly reduced campus piracy and a decreasingly active role for the federal government,' said CA exec director Patrick Ross. 'That is a win-win-win for copyright owners, institutions of higher learning and the taxpayers who fund them and U.S. policymakers.'"

"IP Hawk Slams 'Harry Potter' Piracy," National Journal's Tech Daily Dose, July 18, 2007 -- "The unauthorized distribution of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' is 'an especially high profile example of copyright theft,' but millions of works are illegally downloaded daily, said Patrick Ross, who runs the Copyright Alliance... For true fans of the book and film series, Ross explains how the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would deal with the pre-release piracy problem: 'The perpetrators would be found, their House (most likely Slytherin) would be deducted points, and repeat offenders would begin spitting up toads.'"

"Battle Looms in US over Royalty Fees for Internet Radio," Intellectual Property Watch,, June 26, 2007 -- "Piracy caused $40 billion in software losses in 2006, while motion picture piracy cost US workers $5.5 billion in lost wages, Copyright Alliance Executive Director Patrick Ross said. Cooperation between rights holders and law enforcement such as that proposed by the CACP is critical to protecting domestic employment in the intellectual property sector, he said."

"Improve Legal Services to Slash University Piracy, Officials Say," Washington Internet Daily, June 6, 2007 -- 'Patrick Ross, exec. dir. of the new Copyright Alliance, applauded 'university officials who are serious about finding ways through technology and other means to control how their own broadband networks and services are used.'"

"Crackdown on File-Sharing is Working, Experts Say," National Journal's Technology Daily, June 5, 2007 -- "In anticipation of the hearing, Copyright Alliance Executive Director Patrick Ross issued a statement praising the committee for focusing on a problem that persists two years after the Supreme Court's landmark MGM v. Grokster ruling against file-sharing services. 'It is imperative to protect [copyright owners'] rights so that artists can continue to have incentives to create and our society can continue to enjoy the benefits of that creativity.'"

"Interest Groups," National Journal, June 2, 2007 -- "Patrick Ross says he felt that something was absent from the copyright policy debate. "I thought the [creative] copyright community was somewhat fragmented," says the new executive director of the Copyright Alliance, a coalition that he says turned out to be the missing ingredient."

"Copyright Lobbying Group Formed by Big Guns in the Business," D.C. Examiner, May 30, 2007 -- "'If you look at our membership, it’s really quite diverse, and a lot of those organizations are competing against each other in the policy space,' Copyright Alliance Executive Director Patrick Ross said. The group expects to announce additional member organizations next week, he said.

"People," National Journal's Technology Daily, May 29, 2007 -- "The coalition of organizations from the creative community launched this month with 29 members. Ross left his job as a senior fellow and vice president of communications at the Progress and Freedom Foundation to lead the group. Ross said he was researching the issue and realized opponents were gathering strength and that while there were lots of defenders of artists, 'they were spread out and not really organized.' He said he was hoping to organize them as a project and learned others were trying to do the same.

"Bush Administration Pushes for Stronger Copyright Protection, Enforcement," Intellectual Property Watch, May 22, 2007 -- "The newly launched Copyright Alliance, however, welcomed Justice’s tougher stance. The alliance - which opened for business 17 May and whose 29 members include the Recording Industry Association of America, Motion Picture Association of America, Microsoft and Walt Disney - is 'pleased that the US Attorney General recognises the harm caused by piracy of copyrighted works,' said Executive Director Patrick Ross. 'We would be supportive of congressional efforts to provide hard-working law enforcement officials more resources to enforce copyright laws.'"

"Berman Outlines Legislative Objectives at Launch of New Copyright Coalition," BNA's Daily Report for Executives, May 18, 2007 -- "'Everybody loves creative works, and starting today, the Copyright Alliance will work to ensure the creative process continues by advancing the interest of millions of Americans,' said the alliance's executive director, Patrick Ross, formerly a senior policy fellow at the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a free market think tank."

CNBC's "Power Lunch," May 17, 2007 -- "'I think the biggest threat is an attitude that is spreading among our society that in this new digital age with new technologies, creative works should just be something you do whatever you want with as long as the technology allows you to.'"

"Copyright Alliance Launched," Variety, May 17, 2007 -- "'Everybody loves creative works, and starting today, the Copyright Alliance will work to ensure the creative process continues by advancing the interest of millions of Americans,' said CA exec director Patrick Ross, formerly of the libertarian think-tank Progress & Freedom Foundation. 'Just look at the breadth of our membership: artists' unions and guilds; large and small production and distribution companies; amateur and professional sports leagues; book publishing; business software; graphic artists; magazines; movies; music; newspapers; photographers; radio; television; and video game developers.'"

"Diverse Groups Form Copyright Alliance," United Press International, May 17, 2007 -- "'Everybody loves creative works, and starting today, the Copyright Alliance will work to ensure the creative process continues by advancing the interest of millions of Americans,' said Executive Director Patrick Ross, formerly with libertarian think-tank Progress and Freedom Foundation.

"Backers of Stronger Copyright Laws form Lobbying Group," CNET News.com May 17, 2007 -- "The group's members aren't expected to agree on all the nuances of policy debates, said Patrick Ross, the alliance's executive director. But according to a press release, they're all committed to broad goals like promoting the 'vital role' of copyright in the U.S. economy and job market, encouraging inclusion of copyright protection requirements in international agreements, supporting civil and criminal penalties for piracy, and advocating against 'diminishment' of copyright law. As copyrighted works become ever more widely distributed through digital means, those who own the rights 'still want to get paid,' Ross said.

"New Copyright Alliance on Capitol Hill," The Hollywood Reporter, May 17, 2007 -- "The alliance comprises 29 member organizations ranging from AFTRA to the Walt Disney Co. While [Patrick] Ross conceded that sometimes the ndividual members might be in conflict with one another, an umbrella group will help fill a void. 'If you look at the list of members, you'll see that there will be times when they will disagree,' he said. 'They can speak for themselves, but they all can agree on the general principle that copyrights need protection.'

"Key Lawmaker Predicts Action on Copyright Issues," National Journal's Technology Daily, May 17, 2007 -- "Ross said it may be difficult for the [Copyright Alliance] to advocate for particular IP proposals on Capitol Hill. Because the membership is diverse, he said, "there are going to be times where some members are pitted against others" thanks to different business models. 'We'll have to satisfy ourselves with being an educational resource on copyright writ large,' Ross said. "We are going to look for areas where we can step in and be a bit more active."

"Fair Use Bill Offers 'Natural Extensions' to Copyright Office Exemptions," Consumer Electronics Daily, February 28, 2007 -- "Progress & Freedom Foundation's Patrick Ross compared the bill to cheap booze. 'Boucher and Doolittle would have us believe that this new version is an improvement on their past efforts -- Tastes great, less filling. It's still plenty filling, and the beer still tastes skanky,' he told us. The congressional duo should work through the Copyright Office review process and trust that consumers can 'apply pressure in the market to get what they'd like to purchase,' independent of Congress, he added."

"Rep. Boucher to Resurrect Bill on Digital Copyrights," National Journal's Technology Daily, January 19, 2007 -- "Patrick Ross, a senior fellow for the Progress and Freedom Foundation, is not optimistic that the bill would be 'any more market-friendly' than previous versions. He called the legislation 'hazardous to competition.' Boucher is 'inclined to use the power of the federal government to mandate terms he would like to see in the digital content industry instead of letting consumers demand through the market what they would like to see,' Ross said."

"Industry Notes," Washington Internet Daily, January 10, 2007 -- "The coming release of the General Public License version 3 (GPLv3) should quicken 'serious reflection' at Linden Labs on protecting intellectual property (IP) in the virtual world, Progress & Freedom Foundation's Patrick Ross told us. Discussion drafts for the new license, expected to be finished this spring, mandate sharing of proprietary code built on top of open source, worrying industry. Ross called Linden's new open-source developer project, licensed under the less controversial GPLv2, a 'very wise move... to recruit free labor to grow its product while painting itself as a friend of the techno-geek,' all the while keeping control over proprietary code. With the rise of 'replicating bots' that undermine the IP system of Second Life, moving to GPLv3, 'designed to completely abrogate IP rights, would probably not be conducive to that discussion,' he said."

"AT&T Concessions Could Affect Internet Squabble," The San Francisco Chronicle, January 7, 2007 -- "On the flip side, free market advocates jeered what they consider unnecessary regulation designed to protect Internet companies rather than consumers. The AT&T agreement 'was a shakedown, no question,' said Patrick Ross with the Progress & Freedom Foundation in Washington, a conservative think tank. 'These conditions had nothing to do with the merger between these companies.'"

"New Law Could Limit Digital Music Libraries," WTOV-TV, December 1, 2006 -- "Supporters of the proposed law Audio Flag said it would ensure people are actually paying for digital music. 'In theory, as these hard drives get bigger and bigger in these devices, you can build an entire music library (and) never buy another CD,' said Patrick Ross, a music industry analyst."

"Democratic House Majority Means Telecom Oversight, Some Initiatives," Communications Daily, November 9, 2006 -- "Net neutrality legislation will pass the House, aided by presumptive Speaker Pelosi and her Silicon Valley ties, predicted Progress & Freedom Foundation's Patrick Ross. But if the Democrats win a Senate majority, new Majority Leader Reid (D-Nev.) would need 60 votes for net neutrality to invoke cloture, the prospect that Sen. Stevens (R-Alaska) faced with the main telecom bill (HR-5252) against Democrats who viewed its neutrality provisions as too weak, Ross said. Reid and the new crop of self-described centrist Senate Democrats may hesitate to attach neutrality to a spending or other 'essential' bill, Ross added. A bipartisan compromise 'won't satisfy the shrillest of the shrill... [or] corporate titans on either side of the issue, but it might just serve markets and the consumers in those markets just fine.'"

"American Think Tank Concerned by EU's Approach to Media Regulation," WDC Media News Radio, October 27, 2006 -- "The European Union is considering regulations that would impose similar restrictions on Internet sites that include audiovisual content to those currently imposed on broadcasters in the EU." "But Patrick Ross, senior fellow and vice president of communications at the Washington, DC-based Progress & Freedom Foundation, says the only way to achieve those objectives is through subjective content restrictions. Ross contends the initiative would present a danger when applied -- that is, who decides what content is reasonable and what is not. 'We have a First Amendment in this country, and I think we want to continue to adhere to that,' he says."

"Groups Launch Digital Freedom Campaign," PC World, October 25, 2006 -- "The Digital Freedom groups talked about balancing rights, but their focus was entirely on user rights, added Patrick Ross, senior fellow and vice president for communications and external affairs for the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a free market think tank. Groups like CEA want the cost of music and other Web content to drop to near zero, but if artists don't get paid, Web content will dry up, Ross said. "'We heard a lot of talk about rights, but no talk about artists' rights,' he said. 'Any talk about protecting rights has to protect the artists' copyright.'"

"EU Plan to Regulate Web Stirs Criticisms," The Washington Times, October 25, 2006 -- "Patrick Ross, a senior fellow at the Progress & Freedom Foundation, a Washington free-market think tank, said the regulation, though well-intended, would have unwanted consequences. "'One of the great difficulties of the Internet to a large extent is the Internet does not obey borders. When a company is operating across borders and they're facing disparate regulations, they face a choice of essentially operating two different companies or just operating at the highest level of regulation,' Mr. Ross said. 'And that could mean the EU's rules could essentially become the global rules.'"

"Hill Aides Gauge Future Lay Of Copyright Land," National Journal's Technology Daily, October 23, 2006 -- "The panoply of copyright proposals introduced on Capitol Hill this year likely will re-emerge in the 110th Congress, House and Senate staffers said at a briefing Friday. They agreed that a potential partisan leadership change should not impact copyright issues." "Stakeholders include music labels, songwriters, artists, publishers, photographers and illustrators, electronic game publishers, consumer electronics companies, digital media services, Internet service providers and countless others. 'It is an understatement to say that these are not easily resolved issues,' PFF Senior Fellow Patrick Ross said."

"Were Royalty Offers Made? AllofMP3, Labels Disagree," Washington Internet Daily, October 18, 2006 -- "AllofMP3 is creating a DMCA-like safe harbor for licensing music where none exists, said the Progress & Freedom Foundation's Patrick Ross. AllofMP3 talks a good game on artists' freedom to go outside their labels to negotiate, but they ignore the role artists have given to labels to protect their works, he said. It's obvious that the site markets beyond Russia by having an English-language version and posting music charts from Western countries, Ross said. The website could have compensated artists properly with the money they spent on a PR firm 'to hold a press conference in which they didn't say anything,' he added."

"Stock Option Probes Cost Two More CEO's Their Jobs," MarketWatch, October 12, 2006 -- "The fallout from the scandals goes beyond who occupies what office in a particular company. They've resulted in an erosion of consumer and investor trust, which in turn could undermine a huge swath of companies, according to Patrick Ross, a senior fellow at the Progress & Freedom Foundation. "'Every day we learn of another company that had executives backdating options,' Ross wrote on his blog Wednesday. ‘With the images of the chief executives of Worldcom, Enron and others still fresh in our minds, the fallout, I fear, will be a further erosion of consumer trust.'"

"Top of the Heap," The Guardian (UK), September, 7, 2006 -- "Patrick Ross, of the Center for the Study of Digital Property, a US thinktank, decided to follow this thread. He used his interest in cartography to see how far Wikipedia's grip on Google results - and hence on people's expected reliance on it as a topic - extended into the realm he knew about. Vinland, the Vikings' apparent landing in North America in the 11th century? The top result links to the Wikipedia page. And so on. (Often, results further down the listings - such as those at answers.com - are themselves taken directly from Wikipedia, where the open licence allows direct copying of information; so the appearance of multiple reinforcing answers is false, and the Wikipedia entered data will get much more than the expected ratio of clickthroughs.)"

"ECPA Probably Doesn't Cover AOL Search Query Posting," Washington Internet Daily, August 9, 2006 -- "[Progress] & Freedom Foundation Senior Fellow Patrick Ross told us AOL has given DoJ ‘some pretty serious ammunition’ not only to force search engine compliance in the case, but also to press Congress for lengthy data retention mandates. 'When one of the search entries is 'how to kill your wife,' I think all of us instinctively want authorities to find out who that person is,’ although the phrase might indicate research for a novel -- the situation with Ross's mother, a novelist, he said."

"Paperwork Dread Ahead," RCR Wireless News, June 5, 2006 -- "'The story isn't over here; there is an end to collection, and it is a logical outgrowth of court rulings, but I suspect a new administration could resume collection. We need Congress to formally repeal this tax,' said Patrick Ross, senior fellow and vice president of communications & external affairs at the Progress & Freedom Foundation."

"Champion of Cyberspace Faces it’s Biggest Case Yet," The San Francisco Chronicle, May 23, 2006 -- "'[The Electronic Frontiers Foundation’s] first instinct is to mistrust corporations, organizations competing in the market, to not have faith that competition will solve problems,' said Patrick Ross, senior fellow at the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a pro-free-market, pro-copyright think tank in Washington, D.C. "'They seem to believe that we all live in a common, and that everybody will abide by agreed-upon rules and people will be compensated for their work and nobody will abuse the system,' Ross said."

"Watch Out in Election, Fair-Use Groups Tell Supporters of New Copyright Bill," Washington Internet Daily, April 26, 2006 -- "The Smith draft 'isn't overly alarming on first glance,' but it's far from clear that the formal bill will retain the same provisions, the Progress & Freedom Foundation's Patrick Ross told us. Provisions seem aimed at ‘clarifying that activities currently considered illegal are in fact illegal’ and raising penalties. Ross said he supported the increased prosecutorial resources in the bill but added that 'appropriators wouldn't be bound' to fund such resources if the bill passes."

"SAFE WEB Act Passes Senate; Stearns Seen as House Sponsor," Washington Internet Daily, March 20, 2006 -- "House Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chmn. Stearns (R- Fla.) is a likely sponsor for a companion bill, Progress & Freedom Foundation's Patrick Ross told us. Stearns introduced the only cross-border fraud bill in that chamber in recent years, the International Consumer Protection Act of 2003 (HR-3143). That measure got stuck in the International Relations Committee. 'I would fully expect Stearns, now that he's got the Senate behind him, to move comparable legislation in the House,' he said. Stearns couldn't be reached for comment."

"Spittoons and Quills But No Laptops, Please," Business Week, March 9, 2006 -- "'The rules persist even as senators are increasingly wired. Many have embraced PDAs and PCs. 'These items have become indispensable for many senators, especially when their time is double- and triple-booked,'' says Patrick Ross, a senior fellow at the Progress & Freedom Foundation. Indeed, Ross says, some senators have been sighted 'discreetly checking their BlackBerrys' during debate."

"FCC endorses right to buy cable by the channel," North County Times, February 27, 2006 -- "[PFF's Patrick] Ross disagreed that network neutrality is that important. Choice is important, he said. The more ways a customer can get TV or Internet services, the better market competition will work to satisfy demand." "Cable regulation was justified when cable television was a legal monopoly, Ross said. But now that there are satellite TV services and the prospect of more competition, it makes less and less sense, he said. " "'You've got cable, you've got two satellite systems, you've also got telco (telephone companies), you've got the power lines -- that's five, with more to come,' Ross said. 'That looks like robust competition.'"

"CAP Panel Boosts Muni Broadband," Communications Daily, February 13, 2006 -- "From the audience [of the Center for American Progress Forum], Progress & Freedom Foundation's Patrick Ross partly disagreed. Agreeing Graham's Scottsburg constituents are better off for his decision, he asked, 'How is he supposed to be able to get those users up to speeds capable of handling VoIP and video services? Spend more taxpayer dollars?' Ultimately, he said, a govt. entrant 'isn't part of the free market,' and won't keep value up and prices down. The federal govt. can free more spectrum, both licensed and unlicensed, he said, echoing Baller, and local govts. can 'help by freeing up rights-of-way not just to one commercial provider that wins a monopoly contract, but to any provider willing to invest in the community.' Ultimately, he said, any govt. entry will drift toward monopoly."

"ChoicePoint Hit with Largest Civil Penalty in FTC History," Washington Internet Daily, January 27, 2006 -- "'The lesson of the ChoicePoint settlement isn't that consumers can 'expect personally identifiable data to be kept to ourselves, not if we want instant credit and all the other benefits' of modern society, said Progress & Freedom Foundation Senior Fellow Patrick Ross. ChoicePoint, which 'chose not to prioritize the protection of consumer data' and misled consumers and govt. officials in its privacy and security policies, now pays the price, he said. He warned against Congress 'rushing a new law out the door,' saying it should let the FTC continue its investigations under existing law."

"DRM, Software Patents Highlighted in Draft for New GPL Version," Washington Internet Daily, January 17, 2006 -- "The Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF) warned before the draft's release that Internet giants like Google, Yahoo, Amazon and eBay might be caught off guard by such a change. 'It appears under GPL3, all of those above companies... would have to release all of their revisions. I'm sure their competitors would love to see that code,' Senior Fellow Patrick Ross said in a blog post: 'Will people still use Google if they can use a new service using exactly the same code called 'Angie's Search Engine'... and enjoy far fewer ads?' Jim DeLong, who directs PFF's Study for the Center of Digital Property, told us such a change could prod Web-service companies to switch to software not governed by GPL, such as Sun's Solaris: 'The two [Linux and Solaris] are very close... The conversation would really be very easy.'"

"Virginia City's Wi-Fi Effort Garners Praise," National Journal's Technology Daily State Roundup, August 11, 2005 -- "Efforts in Alexandria, Va., to offer wireless access via Wi-Fi technology are to be commended, even if that means additional tax charges, according to a Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) official. The city has "chosen a very intelligent approach to what is a very thorny issue," Patrick Ross, vice president for communications and external affairs, wrote at the organization's Web log.

"Perspectives on P2P Debate Shared at Copyright Symposium," Washington Internet Daily, June 17, 2005 -- "Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF) Communications Vp Patrick Ross argued for artists and creators, saying the debate often focuses on P2P users, not content originators who continue to produce music and movies because of the incentives conferred by IP protections. 'There's a reason why this country creates more intellectual goods -- because we have a system that protects and encourages that creation,' Ross said. Business models are changing in response to the digital distribution era's demands, he said. The music industry, which has unveiled successful applications like iTunes and Rhapsody, has moved faster than the movie studios, but the evolution is still in progress.

"Skype Expands VoIP Services," United Press International, June 2, 2005 -- "'They need to make the shift to make money,' said Patrick Ross, vice president of communications and external relations for The Progress & Freedom Foundation in Washington, a digital-technology think tank. "'Their current model is great at attracting customers, but is not effective in generating revenue,' Ross told United Press International."

"BitTorrent's Heir? Credence Tool Adds Trust Element to P2P," Washington Internet Daily, March 22, 2005 -- "'What is unfortunate is that copyright holders have to seed P2P networks with decoy files to begin with,' said Patrick Ross, Progress & Freedom Foundation (PFF) vp-communications. 'I would invite the bright minds at Cornell to develop not software to rescue from spam any P2P user downloading unauthorized content, but instead software that could block those unauthorized downloads.'"