Today House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte announced an upcoming review of U.S. copyright law: “the House Judiciary Committee will hold a comprehensive series of hearings on U.S. copyright law in the months ahead. The goal of these hearings will be to determine whether the laws are still working in the digital age. I welcome all interested parties to submit their views and concerns to the Committee. I welcome all interested parties to submit their views and concerns to the Committee.”
His announcement referred to Copyright Register Maria Pallante’s recent testimony to the Committee, in which she told the Committee “it is time for Congress to think about the next great copyright act, which will need to be more forward thinking and flexible than before… If Congress considers copyright revision, a primary challenge will be keeping the public interest at the forefront, including how to define the public interest and who may speak for it. Any number of organizations may feel justified in this role, and on many issues there may in fact be many voices, but there is no singular party or proxy. In revising the law, Congress should look to the equities of the statute as a whole, and strive for balance in the overall framework. It is both possible and necessary to have a copyright law that combines safeguards for free expression, guarantees of due process, mechanisms for access, and respect for intellectual property. ”
A statement by Sherwin Siy, Vice President of legal affairs at Public Knowledge, is quoted in The Hill commenting on Goodlatte’s announcement: “We welcome the Chairman’s proposal to examine how best our copyright laws can, as the Constitution requires, promote the progress of science and the useful arts. As such, we hope that Congress and the Copyright Office will work to balance the interests of artists with those of their audiences and the public in general, ensuring that the ultimate goal of the law is met in promoting innovation and creativity.”
