Copyright Alliance CEO Statement in Support of S. 4145, Pro Codes Act

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

Washington, DC – Today, Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid issued the following statement in support of the bipartisan Pro Codes Act, S. 4145, which was introduced in the Senate on March 19 by Senators Jon Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Coons (D-DE):

“The Copyright Alliance joins the National Fire Protection Association, International Code Council, and numerous other Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), in supporting the Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes Act (Pro Codes Act), S. 4145. This legislation, which is a companion bill to H.R. 4072 introduced in the House last year, confirms that consensus health, safety and security standards continue to be protected by copyright and do not lose copyright protection when they are incorporated by reference into law, as long as they are publicly accessible online.

“Codes and standards have always been protected by copyright. If implemented, what the Pro Codes Act would do is simple. It would ensure that the codes and standards created by SDOs continue to be protected against freeloaders while guaranteeing that the public has access to them when they are incorporated by reference into the law.

“The Pro Codes Act will help preserve the effective system relied on by governmental bodies and standards development organizations in a public private partnership that has promoted public safety and facilitated commerce for more than a century. 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. 

“The Pro Codes Act makes clear that these codes and standards retain their copyright protection and that they are made publicly available if they are incorporated by reference. 

“The Pro Codes Act is a clear win for public safety, transparency, and economic growth. We encourage members of the Senate to support and swiftly pass the bill.”

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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. For more information, please visit our website.