w00t! Will Congressman's Death Mean Change in Copyright Laws?

Passing of Rep Tom Lantos' (D-CA) means that a long-term advocate of expanding the ability of people to use copyrighted material for free may become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's copyright subcommittee.

An interesting thing happened a few days ago that may mean the MPAA and other entertainment industry lobbying organizations will finally see their grip on Congressional leaders loosen - if only for a while at least.

The tragic passing of Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), the only holocaust survivor ever to have served in Congress I might add, likely will trigger a congressional reshuffling that may have huge implications for the entertainment industry.

Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's copyright subcommittee, is pretty levelheaded on most issues, but when it comes to copyright laws he strangely becomes a relentless and outspoken promoter of almost every single MPAA position on copyright and communications law that comes before him.

Now, however, the death of Rep. Lantos opens up the chairmanship of the full House Foreign Affairs Committee. The chances that Berman will ascend to this post exceed 99% and, because members can hold only one chair at a time, someone else will get his spot on the copyright subcommittee.

This is where things really get good because the person next in line is Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA), whose position on copyright and communication laws is just about the exact opposite of Rep. Berman in almost every way possible. For he is a long-term advocate of expanding the ability of people to use copyrighted material for free.

Hallelujah!

The only thing that may prevent the move is that Rep. Boucher currently chairs the House Commerce Committee's energy subcommittee which is an an important one to be on since he hails from a very coal-rich district.

If he turns down the offer then it would make Rep. Jerry Nadler, (D-NY) next in line. Unfortunately, his district includes most of Manhattan's Upper West Side, parts of Clinton, Chelsea, SoHo, Greenwich Village, Tribeca and Downtown Manhattan -- areas dotted with entertainment industry operations.

Moreover, keep your fingers crossed that Rep. Boucher steps up to the plate here and takes the position of chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's copyright subcommittee.

[Via Ars]