Copyright Bill Dies in Senate as Others Advance

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A bill that would make it easier to sue online file-trading networks like Kazaa appeared on Friday to have died a quiet death, but other copyright bills sought by the entertainment industry continued to advance.

The Senate Judiciary Committee declined late on Thursday to take up a bill that would hold liable anyone who “induces” others to reproduce copyrighted material, a move observers said all but assures it would not become law this year.

The bill, known as the Induce Act, is designed to target online file-trading networks, which courts have so far shielded from entertainment industry lawsuits on the grounds they do not commit copyright infringement but merely make it possible.