Statements to Congress

The Copyright Alliance advocates for policies that promote and preserve the value of copyright and protect the rights of creators, copyright owners and innovators. On a regular basis, the Copyright Alliance testifies at and submits written statements to Congressional hearings relating to different aspects of copyright law or the copyright system. Our mission is to ensure Congress understands the issues that are important to the creative community, especially with regard to continuously changing modern technology and how such changes affect creators and copyright owners. Our statements submitted to Congressional hearings can be found on this page. Some examples of the issues we have addressed in statements include, but are not limited to, the DMCA, the CASE Act, the terrestrial public performance right, and modernizing the U.S. Copyright Office.

December 13, 2023

Letter to House Judiciary IP Subcommittee on Piracy

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance sent a letter to House Judiciary IP Subcommittee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Ranking Member Henry Johnson (D-GA) to be entered into the record for the Subcommittee’s hearing on digital copyright piracy. The letter explains that section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) has become less effective over the last twenty five years and identifies five key issues that must be addressed by those responsible for making copyright laws and policies and those responsible for enforcing them.

July 17, 2023

Letter to Senate Judiciary IP Subcommittee on Artificial Intelligence

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance sent a letter to Senate Judiciary IP Subcommittee Chairman Chris Coons (D-DE) and Ranking Member Thom Tillis (R-NC) following the Subcommittee’s hearing on artificial intelligence and copyright. The letter lists five fundamental principles that must form the basis of a common understanding amongst stakeholders, courts, policymakers, and the public when it comes to the relationship between copyright and generative AI. Attached to the letter is the Copyright Alliance’s position paper on artificial intelligence and copyright.

February 2, 2023

Letter to Members of the Senate in Support of the American Music Fairness Act

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance sent a letter to sponsoring members of the Senate voicing support for the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA),  S. 253, a bill that would revise the Copyright Act to provide a terrestrial public performance right for sound recordings.

February 2, 2023

Letter to Members of the House of Representatives in Support of the American Music Fairness Act

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance sent a letter to sponsoring members of the House of Representatives voicing support for the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), H.R. 791, a bill that would revise the Copyright Act to provide a terrestrial public performance right for sound recordings.

April 5, 2022

Letter to Congress on U.S. Innovation and Competition Act

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance sent a letter to Senate Majority and Minority Leaders Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and House Majority and Minority Leaders Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), expressing concern that the United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 will undermine copyright protections for American rightsholders. Specifically, the letter points out that while public access to research reports and raw data is important, the bill’s public access language goes too far by undermining copyright protection through unreasonable licensing requirements.

February 1, 2022

Letter to the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights on the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act.

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Competition Policy, Antitrust, and Consumer Rights Chairwoman Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Ranking Member Mike Lee (R-UT), voicing support of the Journalism Competition and Preservation Act (JCPA) in light of the Subcommittee’s hearing on Journalism, Competition, and the Effects of Market Power on a Free Press. The letter highlights that “[e]nacting legislation like the JCPA would represent a crucial step toward . . . bolstering press publishers’ abilities to continue generate and disseminate news content for the American public.”

July 28, 2021

Letter to Members of the House of Representatives in Support of the American Music Fairness Act

Summary:

The Copyright Alliance sent a letter to all members of the House of Representatives voicing support for the American Music Fairness Act (AMFA), H.R. 4130, a bill that would revise the Copyright Act to provide a terrestrial public performance right for sound recordings.

December 15, 2020

Written Testimony – The Role of Private Agreements and Existing Technology in Curbing Online Piracy

Summary:

Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid testified before the Senate Judiciary IP Subcommittee on the role of private agreements and existing technology in curbing online piracy.

September 30, 2020

Written Testimony – Copyright and the Internet in 2020: Reactions to the Copyright Office’s Report on the Efficacy of Section 512

Summary:

Copyright Alliance VP, Legal Policy Terrica Carrington testified before the House Judiciary Committee on reactions to Copyright Office’s report, which concludes that the careful balance that Congress intended regarding Section 512 has been tilted askew, to the detriment of copyright owners.

August 26, 2020

Statement on Requirements and Procedures for Filing a DMCA Takedown Notice

Summary:

On August 26, Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid participated in a Senate Judiciary IP Subcommittee staff briefing on the requirements and procedures for filing a DMCA takedown notice. While noting that the concerns raised in a prior written statement are of equal, if not greater, significance, his statement highlights issues related to the representative list requirement, additional takedown requirements imposed by service providers, problems with webforms used by service providers, and counter-notices.