Copyright Alliance Celebrates World IP Day on April 26

PRESS RELEASE

Washington, D.C. April 21, 2017 – The Copyright Alliance will join the U.S. Copyright Office for a Copyright Matters program in recognition of World Intellectual Property Day on Wednesday, April 26, at 10:30 a.m. to be held in the historic Coolidge Auditorium on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. This year’s theme, as announced by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), is Innovation – Improving Lives.

This program will feature remarks and a panel discussion focusing on the impact of creative works and performances on the lives of both creators and the public. The panel will feature Jason King (musician, performer, journalist, scholar) and Steve Bogard (writer of ten number one country songs, member of Nashville Songwriter’s Association International, and songwriters’ rights advocate). The panel will be moderated by Eric Schwartz (partner with Mitchell, Silberberg & Knupp LLP, adjunct professor of copyright law at Georgetown University Law Center, and member of the National Recording Preservation Board, Library of Congress).

To show the importance of recording technology as a creative tool, this program will also include excerpts from the eight-part series, Soundbreaking: Stories from the Cutting Edge of Recorded Music.

Opening remarks will be given by Representative Doug Collins (R-GA 9th District);

Karyn Temple Claggett, Acting Register of Copyrights; and Keith Kupferschmid, CEO, Copyright Alliance.

According to Kupferschmid, “This is the sixth year in a row that the Copyright Alliance is joining the U.S. Copyright Office in hosting a World IP Day program. We are excited to feature a stellar panel of artists who will talk about the importance of innovation, copyright and intellectual property as they relate to shaping the evolution of music.”

World Intellectual Property Day, observed on April 26 since 2000, marks the date in 1970 when the WIPO Convention came in to force. The anniversary of this occasion is observed as a way of promoting and increasing general understanding of intellectual property. This program is part of the Copyright Matters lecture series, and is free and open to the public. Request ADA accommodations in advance at ADA@loc.gov.

Media, please email Eileen Bramlet at ebramlet@copyrightalliance.org if you are interested in attending.

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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 1.8 million individual creators and over 13,000 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 www.copyrightalliance.org.

For media inquiries, contact:

Eileen Bramlet

VP Communications

ebramlet@copyrightalliance.org

571.228.1906

You can download the pdf version of this statement here.