The Copyright Office should reflect the creativity and innovation of the market it serves. The United States has the most prolific knowledge-based economy in the world, and a well-functioning Copyright Office is necessary to promote the continued growth of the creative sector.
Last week, Congressman Tom Marino (PA-10) and Congresswoman Judy Chu (CA-27) took an important step in the right direction by releasing a discussion draft, titled the Copyright Office for the Digital Economy Act or CODE Act. Their work will serve as the basis for a long overdue discussion on how best to bring the Copyright Office into the 21st century. A modern copyright office will reduce friction in the over $1.1 trillion marketplace for copyrighted works, incentivize creativity, innovation, investment and jobs, and represent a meaningful achievement for Congress.
We look forward to working with Representatives Marino and Chu as they continue to craft legislation that bolsters the Copyright Office’s ability to administer the United States copyright system.
Read more from Digital Liberty: Copyright Office Stuck in the Past
“The United States’ copyright industry grew 3.9 percent from 2009 to 2013, which is 70 percent faster than the overall economy. Meanwhile, the copyright office uses many manual recordation techniques akin to the copyright office of the 1870s, rather than a copyright office suited for 2015. “