Washington — The Copyright Office released its study today on how copyright provisions within the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act are being used. The study does not recommend wholesale changes to the Section 512 safe harbor system, but identifies areas where Congress may want to step in with legislation.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association has advocated for balanced intellectual property policy that promotes innovation for more than 45 years. The following can be attributed to CCIA President Matt Schruers:
“We are encouraged that the study recognizes wholesale changes to the notice and takedown system are not needed. Since the Office began this inquiry back in 2015, the entertainment industry boomed, led largely by Internet-enabled channels. In the current crisis, digital services that depend upon Section 512 have provided the public with valuable tools to connect, communicate, and gather information.”
“It’s disappointing that the Office’s report says so little about fraudulent use of takedown demands to suppress speech, when it comes on the heels of a major Wall Street Journal investigation that uncovered serious cases of takedown abuse aimed at disappearing legitimate information from public view.”