Cornyn Statement On MGM v. Grokster Decision

Cornyn Statement On MGM v. Grokster Decision

"Those who facilitate theft often are just as guilty as the thieves themselves"

Monday, June 27, 2005

WASHINGTON-Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Judiciary Committee's Intellectual Property subcommittee, made the following statement Monday regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in MGM v. Grokster:

"Today, the Supreme Court reinforced the principle that those who facilitate theft often are just as guilty as the thieves themselves.

"Every day, literally millions of dollars in copyrighted works are stolen via online services. This theft is no less wrong because it is carried out in cyberspace - rather, potentially worse than common shoplifting, it is putting thousands of Americans out of work and is damaging one of the most important and vibrant sectors of the United States economy. Unfortunately, the services that facilitate much illegal online file sharing have been designed to encourage just that type of behavior.

"When the founding fathers put the protection of intellectual property in the Constitution, they recognized the unique and unlimited creativity of the American people and the impact American innovators would have on the world in the areas of art and technology.

"Today's decision by the Supreme Court is an affirmation of those Constitutional principles and should be commended."

Sen. Cornyn is a member of the Judiciary Committee's Intellectual Property subcommittee and the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus. He served previously as Texas Supreme Court Justice, Texas Attorney General, and Bexar County District Judge.

http://cornyn.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=239618&ref=home