WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following President Bush's signing of S. 3325 into law yesterday, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) released the following statement:

"During this time of economic uncertainty, the software and digital content industry commends the U.S. Congress for taking concrete steps today to protect our nation's vital intellectual property assets," noted Ken Wasch, SIIA's President.

S. 3325 (the "Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property (PRO IP) Act of 2008") strengthens law enforcement tools, provides more resources to enforce existing copyright laws and better coordinates U.S. intellectual property policy.

"The PRO-IP Act increases the Department of Justice (DOJ) staffing of FBI agents and assistant U.S. attorneys assigned to IP rights enforcement to better enable our nation's law enforcement officials to work effectively and pursue more cases to preserve the investments that are protected through our nation's intellectual property laws," stated Mark Bohannon, SIIA's General Counsel & SVP. "The piracy of software and digital

content continues to be a significant problem for SIIA and its members. The legislation passed today will go a long way to helping combat and reduce piracy."

"We want to thank Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Leahy and Senators Specter and Leahy and House Subcommittee Chairman Berman and Committee Ranking Member Smith for their hard work and dedication to get S. 3325 passed through the Congress," added Keith Kupferschmid, SIIA's SVP for Intellectual Property Policy and Enforcement.

About SIIA

The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection for more than 500 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit www.siia.net.

SOURCE Software & Information Industry Association