FC: House Judiciary members applaud Supreme Court copyright ruling

[Declan McCullagh <declan () well com>]

[Note the aggressively Democratic-Republican bipartisan nature of this 
press release. And y'all hope to get copyright law changed on *their* 
watch? Fat chance. --Declan]

---

U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on the Judiciary
F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., Chairman
_______________________________________
www.house.gov/judiciary

News Advisory
For immediate 
release                                                   Contact: Jeff 
Lungren/Terry Shawn
January 15, 
2003                                                               202-225-2492

Sensenbrenner/Conyers Statement on Supreme Court Upholding 1998 Copyright 
Protection Extension Act


WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today in a 7-2 ruling, the United States Supreme Court 
upheld the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act passed by Congress. The Act 
extends the terms of copyrights to "life of the author plus 70 years" while 
corporately-owned works are protected for 95 years.

The Constitution allows Congress to give exclusive rights to the authors 
and inventors of their works and inventions to " promote the progress of 
Science and useful arts" for a limited time. The Copyright Term Extension 
Act introduced by the late Sonny Bono (R-Calif.) extended the duration of 
copyright protection for 20 additional years.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.), 
Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.), House Judiciary Courts, the 
Internet and Intellectual Property Subcommittee Chairman Howard Coble 
(R-N.C.), and Ranking Member Howard L. Berman (D-Calif.) were among those 
who filed an amicus brief with the Court in favor of the 1998 law.

Chairman Sensenbrenner said, "I am pleased the Supreme Court defended the 
Constitutional prerogative of Congress to pass the Copyright Term Extension 
Act. The law provides writers, musicians, and other artists with greater 
incentive to create and disseminate their works which ultimately benefit 
the American public. The United States produces more intellectual property 
than any other country in the world. The copyright and related industries 
employ millions of American workers, and its vitality is critical to our 
national economy. The Court's decision will ensure that American copyright 
holders will generate additional revenues from domestic and foreign sales 
of their copyrighted works."

Added Ranking Member Conyers, "I am not surprised that the Court upheld the 
prerogative of Congress to promote and protect authorship. Copyright 
protection is the main incentive that content owners have to create and 
distribute their creations; if Congress does not act pursuant to its 
constitutional responsibilities to update that protection as technology 
advances, we will take away that incentive and lose what is this country's 
number one export. This decision demonstrates this country's commitment to 
encouraging authorship and free expression."

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