Copyright Alliance Issues Statement Supporting HJC Markup of Pro Codes Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Eileen Bramlet ebramlet@copyrightalliance.org

Washington, DC—Today, Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid issued the following statement regarding the House Judiciary Committee’s (HJC) markup of the Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes Act (Pro Codes Act), H.R. 1631:

“The Copyright Alliance joins the National Fire Protection Association, the International Code Council, and numerous other organizations in supporting the Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes Act (Pro Codes Act), H.R. 1631, legislation that was approved as amended by the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 19-4.

“The Pro Codes Act ensures that codes and standards created by standards development organizations (SDOs) continue to be protected by copyright when they are incorporated by reference into law as long as the SDO makes any codes or standards accessible without charge on a publicly available website. Codes and standards have long been protected by copyright, and the Pro Codes Act does not change that. What the Pro Codes Act does is guarantee that the public has access to any code or standard incorporated by reference into law that is created by an SDO as a condition of such continued protection.

“The balanced approach taken by the Pro Codes Act will help preserve the current system that has worked effectively for more than 125 years, one that incentivizes SDOs to continue creating codes and standards that benefit society, the economy, and public safety. Without effective copyright protections, there is grave risk that these organizations will no longer be able to produce the high-quality codes and standards that the public and lawmakers have come to rely on.

“We thank members of the Committee for their support for this important bipartisan legislation.”

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ABOUT THE COPYRIGHT ALLIANCE

The Copyright Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest and educational organization representing the copyright interests of over two million individual creators and over 15,000 organizations in the United States, across the spectrum of copyright disciplines. The Copyright Alliance is dedicated to advocating policies that promote and preserve the value of copyright, and to protecting the rights of creators and innovators. The Copyright Alliance is the unified voice of the copyright community and the views espoused may not reflect the specific views of any individual or organization. For more information, please visit our website.