A 30GB video iPod sent to Montana senator Conrad Burns by IPAC (Intellectual Property Action Committee) was rejected by him, despite the fact that he has accepted US$59,000 in donations from entertainment industry PACs during the past six years, according to the organization.

"IPAC's contribution is legal," the organization said on its Web site. "It was submitted with all of the required paperwork. And it was paid for by ordinary Americans who care about balanced copyright and technology policy.

"We're sending his campaign a letter to clarify their policy on accepting contributions from PACs, and we'll let you know what they say. We hope their answer is that they're swearing off *all* PAC contributions, including the tens of thousands of dollars that they take from the entertainment industry!"

IPAC referenced a Missoula Independent article in which a Burns campaign spokesman said: "[The iPod] has arrived, and we have already put it back in the mail. [This] is the first time we have received something technological. It's just not a donation that we want. If [Senator Burns] wants an iPod, he'll buy one."

IPAC raised money to send a dozen iPods to members of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, which has been considering MPAA and RIAA proposals "that would stifle innovations by giving content holders a virtual veto over new technologies and existing user rights," the organization explained. Each iPod was engraved with the words "Listen to the people."

IPAC launched the initiative at the beginning of February, after Senator Stevens from Alaska admitted that he had received an iPod as a gift and "suddenly had a much greater understanding of the many ways innovative technology can create choice for consumers," IPAC said on its site. Senator Stevens chairs the aforementioned committee.