The European Parliament approved a controversial piracy law that would allow local police to raid the homes and offices of suspected intellectual-property pirates

The European Parliament approved a controversial piracy law that would allow local police to raid the homes and offices of suspected intellectual-property pirates, search their financial records and even freeze suspects' bank accounts. The European Union's directive covers selling everything from pirated CDs and counterfeit toys to fake Chanel and Viagra. Organizations that suspect their intellectual property has been violated can obtain search-and-seizure orders and injunctions. The measure passed last week by a vote of 330 to 151, but not without some last-minute brokering by European Parliament President Pat Cox. Various industry groups had pushed for a tougher directive that would have included the threat of criminal sanctions. Consumer-rights groups such as the European Consumers' Organization charged that the law was overly broad and would re-create the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in Europe. As passed, the measure includes civil and administrative penalties for commercial piracy. Criminal penalties were dropped. Individual member countries are still free, however, to punish intellectual-property theft with criminal sanctions. Parliament was under the gun to pass legislation before its May recess, June Parliament elections and the imminent expansion of the EU from 15 to 25 countries, particularly in Eastern Europe.