Rep. Loffgren: Silicon Valley is 'starting to wake up'

"Silicon Valley companies are starting to wake up," said Rep Zoe Loffgren (D-CA). "That is based on the free flow of information, not on locking it down," she said in reference to the fair use doctrine, which allows some copyrighted content to be used without permission. Fair use, she said, is necessary for software companies, web firms and manufacturers. Content owners, however, say high piracy rates is holding them back from economic growth and that stricter copyright enforcement is needed. "The content industry has had a very successful track record in international trade, and that's great for our country," she said. "The content owners -- Hollywood, especially -- certainly deserve recognition, but they should not be able to ... lock down the content."