OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Issue Position: Copyright - Enhancing the Public Domain

Issue Position

Date: Jan. 1, 2012
Issues: Technology and Communication Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

The Public Domain Enhancement Act offers American copyright owners with continuing interest in works an easy way to maintain their copyrights while allowing abandoned works to enter the public domain. It requires that American copyright owners pay a simple $1 fee to maintain their copyrights 50 years after publication. If the owner fails to pay the $1 fee, the copyright expires and the work enters the public domain. In addition, copyright owners are required to submit a form identifying the copyright holder to facilitate proper licensing of copyrighted works.

I'm proud to have the endorsement of the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, the American Association of Law Libraries, and Public Knowledge. In addition, a vast array of film archivists, directors, actors, consumer groups, and academics support the bill


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