WASHINGTON — It will be a comforting sound to the entertainment industry when Rep. Howard L. Berman pounds a key House subcommittee to order next month.
That's because the Valley Village Democrat sometimes known as Hollywood's congressman will be wielding the chairman's gavel after his party takes control of Congress. The position will give Berman considerable sway over laws regulating the transition to digital media.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday December 12, 2006 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 76 words Type of Material: Correction
Rep. Howard Berman: An article in Business on Monday about the Valley Village Democrat's pending chairmanship of a panel overseeing copyright issues said the recording industry backed a bill that he cosponsored to create a licensing system that would make it easier for online services to get permission to sell music. Although the Recording Industry Assn. of America supported the goal, it ended up opposing the bill. Also, the bill was introduced this year, not last.
But Berman's oversight of the Judiciary Committee's panel on the Internet and intellectual property is likely to give a splitting headache to consumer electronics makers and public interest groups advocating unfettered use of digital content.
"There's two problems with Howard Berman," said John Palafoutas, the chief lobbyist for AeA, a high-tech trade group that wants fewer government restrictions on digital information. "One, he's really smart. And two, he knows how to represent his constituents, which in this case is Hollywood."
Berman's San Fernando Valley district is home to thousands of people who work in the entertainment industry, and he has championed their interests since arriving in Congress in 1983.
Employees and political action committees from television, motion picture and recording companies have returned the favor: Berman has received more contributions from them -- $1.1 million -- than from any other sector since 1989, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
"He's a huge asset," said John Feehery, executive vice president of external affairs for the Motion Picture Assn. of America. "He's somebody who understands the importance of our industry to the overall economy and understands the importance of strong copyright laws to protect and promote our industry."
Berman, 65, a lawyer known for his political acumen, makes no excuses for his focus on the legal concerns of Hollywood.
"It's beyond a parochial issue," he said. "It's a very important national industry, one of the ones where we are most competitive around the world, and the one thing that can undermine it is rampant piracy."
As the top Democrat on the Courts, the Internet and Intellectual Property subcommittee, Berman has worked closely with the Republican chairman, Lamar Smith of Texas. The two have similar views on intellectual property, supporting strong protections on copyrights and limits on the ability of people to make digital copies of video or music -- even to transfer content between devices or to share it with friends.
