Copyright Alliance CEO Issues Statement in Support 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 in support of the Pro Codes Act, S. 835, which was introduced in the Senate on March 16, 2023, by Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate IP Subcommittee; Senator John Cornyn (R-TX); Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC), Ranking Member of the Senate IP Subcommittee; and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI):

“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), S. 835, legislation that ensures that codes and standards continue to be protected by copyright and do not lose copyright protection when they are incorporated into law as long as they are accessible without charge on a publicly available website.

“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 standards development organizations continue to be protected against infringers while guaranteeing that the public has access to them when they are incorporated by reference into law.

“The Pro Codes Act will help to preserve the current system that has worked effectively for more than 125 years, which incentivizes standards development organizations 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. At the same time, the Pro Codes Act also makes clear that these codes and standards are only protected if they are made available to the public once they are incorporated into the law. 

“The Pro Codes Act is a clear win for standards development organizations, lawmakers, scholars, and the public. We thank Senators Coons, Cornyn, Tillis, and Whitehouse for introducing this important legislation, and we encourage members of Congress to join them in supporting and swiftly passing 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.