Online petition against the Orphan Works Act of 2008

Online petition: Against the Orphan Works Act of 2008. This bill is no better than the one that I wrote about the Journal of the Copyright Society this Spring. It even includes a registration database requirement, which is an anathema to the stated purpose of the copyright clause of the Constitution. If you have time, [...]

Orphan Works Bills

I haven’t gone through both new versions of the Orphan Works bills (House, Senate). However, this month the Journal of the Copyright Society of the USA published my article detailing problems with all previous versions of orphan works legislation. Here is a PDF of the article, Darrin Keith Henning, Copyright’s Deus Ex Machina: Economic Fostering [...]

S.2913 - Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008

110th CONGRESS 
2d Session 
S. 2913
To provide a limitation on judicial remedies in copyright infringement cases involving orphan works.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
April 24, 2008
Mr. LEAHY (for himself and Mr. HATCH) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

H.R. 5889 - Orphan Works Act of 2008

Six months ago, the last version of an Orphan Works bill died in Congressional committee. Now, a new Orphan Works bill has surfaced in two different versions, one in the House and one in the Senate. Here is the House version:

110th CONGRESS 
2d Session 
H. R. 5889  
To provide a limitation on judicial remedies in copyright infringement [...]

Pro-IP bill to become law in 2008?

Rep. Berman: Pro-IP bill will become law in 2008
Rep. Howard Berman, who heads a congressional panel in charge of writing copyright legislation, lashed out at Internet pirates this week and defended his effort to add stiffer anticopying penalties to federal law.
Berman, a Democrat who represents the congressional district near Hollywood, said at a technology policy [...]

District Court Finds Portion of Copyright Remedy Clarification Act Unconstitutional

This month, in Marketing Information Masters v. The Trustees of the California State University (full PDF of decision here), the US Dist. Ct. for the S. Dist. of Cal. found the Copyright Remedy Clarification Act to be unconstitutional for removing sovereign immunity for state workers working in their official capacity. The court determined that Congress exceeded [...]

H.R. 4137 Passes House with Section 494 attached.

HR 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act, passed the house. It seeks to reduce higher education costs, increases Pell Grants, and . . . seeks to elimitate peer-to-peer file sharing on college campuses. Yes, just what higher ed has been clamboring for, more money for students and an unfunded mandate to police their computer [...]

Pro-IP Act of 2007 - H. R. 4279

110th CONGRESS
1st Session 
 
H. R. 4279
To enhance remedies for violations of intellectual property laws, and for other purposes.

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IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 5, 2007
Mr. Conyers (for himself, Mr. Berman, Mr. Smith of Texas, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Feeney, Mr. Issa, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Keller of Florida, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, and Mr. Goodlatte) introduced the [...]

Intellectual Property Enhanced Criminal Enforcement Act of 2007 - Introduced in House

So long I couldn’t even read it all. The broad strokes increase statutory damages and create each dirivitive work as a seperate infringement. Unneeded and likely to harm technological innovation driving the purchase of IP instead of reducing any theft. Intellectual Property Enhanced Criminal Enforcement Act of 2007

Design Piracy Prohibition Act - Introduced in Senate

110th CONGRESS 1st Session
S. 1957
To amend title 17, United States Code, to provide protection for fashion design.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 2, 2007
Mr. SCHUMER (for himself, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. HATCH, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. KOHL, Mrs. CLINTON, and Ms. SNOWE) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and [...]