DMLA Needs Member Support for CASE Act
Dear Members:May 2, 2019 was a big day for copyright advocacy in Washington D.C. as two companion bills (H.R. 2426 and S. 1273 ) were introduced in both the House and the Senate creating an alternative forum for hearing copyright infringement cases of relatively lesser value entitled the Copyright Alternative in Small Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act). The legislation, creates a small-claims process for creators and businesses whose work is infringed to be heard by a tribunal within the Copyright Office, without the need for attorneys, or personal appearances. The monetary limit is $30,000 for two worksThese bills have bipartisan support, which is rare and very encouraging. The bill is backed by the group of creative associations that DMLA has been working with over the last 10 years including, ASMP, APA, ASCRL, the Copyright Alliance, GAG, NANPA, NPPA, and PPA. So, we’re off to a great start, but we need to build momentum, and that’s where you come in. DMLA has already written the relevant members of the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate in support of the CASE Act. However, getting a bill passed is hard work. We need to build as much support as possible for the CASE Act before Congress takes its summer break in August. The Representatives and Senators need to hear from their constituents to know that this bill has grass root support in their states and districts. So, we are asking you to do the following:
- Send the attached letter (which you may modify) to your Member of Congress through their contact page
- Encourage your photographers to add their voices at the web portal copyrightdefense.com/action
- Tweet/use instagram and/or Facebook to show your support for the CASE Act
Thanks so much. We know we can count on you to make sure this important legislation gets all the attention it needs from our DMLA Membership.Warm regards,Nancy Wolff, DMLA Counsel Cathy Aron, DMLA Executive Director DMLA Legal Committee