S 1010

Senate Introduces S 1010, the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act

On May 3, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced S. 1010, a Senate companion to H.R. 1695, The Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act, which recently passed the House of Representatives.

Here’s a compilation of what people are saying:

Senators: “The Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act makes important changes to the selection process for the head of the U.S. Copyright Office, known as the Register of Copyrights. Specifically, the legislation requires the Register to be nominated by the President of the United States and subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate. It would limit the Register to a ten-year term that is renewable by another presidential nomination and Senate confirmation. The legislation would establish a panel consisting of Members of Congress and the Librarian of Congress to recommend at least three individuals to the President for the position. It would require that the Register be capable of identifying and supervising a Chief Information Officer or similar official responsible for managing information technology systems. Finally, the legislation clarifies that the mandatory deposit requirements for collection at the Library of Congress will remain the same.”

Association of American Publishers: The Association of American Publishers (AAP) commends the strong leadership of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) for introducing the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act. All of these lawmakers have deep experience in copyright legislation and are aware of the criticality of the U.S. Copyright Office to creativity, innovation and the public good. The bill recognizes the complex and critical portfolio of the head of the U.S. Copyright Office, and ensures that future Registers would have both the clear authority and appropriate accountability to perform the duties of the office. An identical bill (H.R. 1695) was passed by the House last week.”

Copyright Alliance: “We applaud the introduction of today’s legislation by the current and former Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee: Sens. Grassley, Feinstein, Hatch, and Leahy. The bill’s introduction continues the strong, bipartisan bicameral support for adopting a more neutral and transparent process for selecting future Registers of Copyrights, and is an important first step in establishing a modern and efficient Copyright Office that is critical to a 21st century copyright system. We thank the Senators for their diligence and support and are optimistic that legislation to make the Register a Presidential Appointee can be considered and enacted swiftly in the Senate.”

Motion Picture Association of America: “The MPAA thanks Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Feinstein, and Senators Hatch and Leahy for their leadership to bring the Copyright Office into the 21st century. Making the Register a nominated and confirmed position reflects the importance of the U.S. copyright industries and ensures the Copyright Office is directly responsible for administering the law at the foundation of America’s $1.2 trillion creative economy, which supports 5.5 million jobs. We look forward to continuing to work with the House and Senate on this legislation and additional modernization efforts, in concert with the Acting Register and any successor.”

Go to Register of Copyrights News page | Go to H.R. 1695 page