Washington — The Senate Judiciary Intellectual Property Subcommittee will hear from witnesses Tuesday about how other countries handle online copyright infringement and liability for what users post online. Europe has enacted copyright regulations recently that are out of sync with balanced copyright measures followed by the U.S. like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, and the Computer & Communications Industry Association will point these out during the hearing.
The U.S. currently supports measures in trade agreements to make sure other countries honor intellectual property and curb piracy. Officials likewise ensure digital services can expand to global markets by adding liability protections like the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
The DMCA is one of the Internet’s legal cornerstones, which offers technology companies liability protections so long as they quickly take down content in response to reports of copyright infringement.
CCIA advocates for balanced intellectual property rules. CCIA represents tech companies that are both rightsholders and benefit from the liability protections.
CCIA President Matt Schruers will testify at the hearing Tuesday and tell the Subcommittee:
“Copyright enforcement helps ensure the creative landscape remains vibrant, but liability protections are key as well. Other nations’ approaches to online enforcement, when not modeled after U.S. law like the DMCA, have fallen short, and provide a cautionary lesson for reforms.
“When properly applied, current U.S. copyright law provides online services and rightsholders protection from bad actors, and gives ample incentive for innovation and creativity alike.”