UPDATE: Thank you for your interest in filing comments with the USTR. The deadline for submissions has passed and we are no longer able to file comments, however you can now read the comments that were filed here. If you managed to file comments and would like to comment about your experience, please post a comment here by scrolling down to the end to the page.

The US Trade Representative is gathering comments from the public on how it should protect U.S. intellectual property interests in other countries. This process is called the "Special 301." The big content industries have long used the Special 301 to complain about lax copyright enforcement, resist limitations and exceptions to copyright that benefit the public and force one-sided copyright laws on other countries. But the Special 301 doesn't have to be the exclusive province of these special interests — it can also be used to make the public's voice heard.

Now is the time to voice your opinion on how US copyright law's limitations and exceptions — which are beneficial to libraries, education, innovation, and the general public — should be advanced abroad.

Let's fill the docket and urge the USTR to export fair use, and other provisions of US law that promote creativity, access to knowledge, and innovation. Now is the chance for your voice to be heard. File your comments with the USTR below, now!

Filing a comment is easy, just follow these steps:

1. Review the following suggested comments and make any changes you desire. Remember to add your name at the end of the comments, below the "Sincerely." Note: You must include the following phrase in your comments for the USTR to receive them "2010 Special 301 Review":

   RE: 2010 Special 301 Review Docket Number USTR-2010-0003 Jennifer Choe Groves Senior Director for Intellectual Property and Innovation and Chair of the Special 301 Committee Office of the United States Trade Representative 600 17th Street NW Washington, DC 20508 Filed electronically via Regulations.gov Dear Ms. Groves: The United States Trade Representative (USTR) should not allow rights holders to use this proceeding to force sovereign nations to impose overzealous restrictions on their citizens interfering with civil liberties and diminishing our global standing. Instead, I urge the USTR to recognize the importance of balanced intellectual property law to innovation and free expression. The USTR should demand that rights holders support sweeping claims of infringement and loss with verifiable data. Blind acceptance of the insatiable cries to “do more to stop piracy” will inevitably corrupt our foreign policy goals and cripple innovation. The United States should not dictate the specific structure of domestic laws to foreign countries. This is especially important when rights holders constantly demand ever increasing criminal penalties, prison terms, fines, and liability without ever discussing limitations and exceptions to copyright. Exporting the rights associated with intellectual property without including limitations and exceptions does a disservice to creators, innovators, and the public. Limitations on intellectual property enforcement help promote learning and social welfare by empowering libraries and schools to spread knowledge. They also allow creativity to flourish by preventing rights holders from stifling innovation that may challenge existing business models. Without intellectual property limitations culture becomes frozen, unable to evolve in unexpected and disruptive ways. Companies seeking to impose this cultural freeze abroad will eventually try to force the US to accept it at home. Sincerely,

2. Once finished Select all the comment text by clicking IN the box and choosing "Select All" from your browser's "Edit" menu. Copy the selected text by choosing "Copy" from the your browser's "Edit" menu.

3. Once you've selected your comment text click on the following link, paste your comments into the comment section of the form from Regulations.gov, fill in the remaining required fields, press Preview Comment, follow the instructions for reviewing your form, and press Submit to submit your comments.

   Click here to file your comments with the USTR at Regulations.gov

4. After you've filed your formal comment at Regulations.gov, if you'd like to let us know you filed in the docket, leave a comment below and tell us your "Comment Tracking Number."

UPDATE:The deadline for submissions has passed and we are no longer able to file comments, however you can now read the comments that were filed here.

Click here to learn more about the Special 301 List.