[JURIST] The US Department of Justice has submitted a body of proposed laws to Congress that would strengthen federal intellectual property enforcement, US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales [official profile] announced Thursday during remarks at an anti-piracy meeting [official text] in Washington, DC. Gonzales said that the Intellectual Property Protection Act 2005, the "comprehensive legislative package" designed by the DOJ, responds to the problem of evolving technologies that make production of, and access to, pirated material substantially easier. If enacted, the new laws would create the new crime of "attempting to infringe a copyright," and would stiffen prison sentences of those convicted of criminal infringement. Those convicted of such crimes would also be required to pay the copyright holder, as well as "any other victim of the offense" for any out-of-pocket costs the infringement caused. CNET News has more.