Biden’s “IP roundtable” brings together Big Content, FBI – Ars Technica — Rekon this will be for the benefit of the consumer?

Vice President Joe Biden has been one of the Obama’s administration’s point people on intellectual property. Biden attended an MPAA get-together in DC back in April 2009, where he told the assembled luminaries that they were going to love Obama’s choice for the new “copyright czar” position (officially known as IPEC). That choice was later revealed as Victoria Espinel, who actually attracted positive commentary from groups on all sides of the IP issue.

This week, Biden was at it again, hosting a roundtable on enforcing copyright infringement cases. Who was invited? Top names from the government, including Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Biden, and Espinel, along with the heads of NBC, Sony Pictures, Warner Music Group, and HarperCollins.

Oh, did I mention that the guest list also included the heads of the MPAA and RIAA, top execs from News Corp., Universal Music, Walt Disney, and Viacom?

Or that top Obama advisor and confidante Valeria Jarrett was in attendance? Or that the head of the FBI and Secret Service were there? Or that the event billed itself “the first of its kind, and will bring together all of the stakeholders to discuss ways to combat piracy in this rapidly changing technological age,” but didn’t manage to invite any public interest groups or academics?