Twenty years ago, we saw the creation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. It was intended to modernize copyright law for the digital age. Instead, it made it much worse. Ordinary activities in the physical world — like loaning a copy of something, giving it away, or reselling it — are prohibited in the digital […]

Today, the Copyright Office announced the appointments by the Librarian of Congress of David Carson, Monica P. McCabe, and Brad Newberg as the first copyright claims officers on the newly established Copyright Claims Board (CCB).

Over the past 10 months, the U.S. has experienced a constant state of flux, enduring the COVID-19 pandemic, a major cultural divide, and a tumultuous transition of power between presidential administrations. Many sought refuge in the virtual worlds offered by video game consoles in order to cope with the stress, causing a major spike in […]

Today, Librarian of Congress Dr. Carla Hayden announced her appointment of Shira Perlmutter as the new Register of Copyrights.

This blog post is part of a series on communications policies Public Knowledge recommends in response to the pandemic. You can read more of our proposals here and view the full series here. The right to repair consumer goods such as gaming systems, appliances, and even medical equipment is more important than ever now that we are living […]

Yesterday, the U.S. Copyright Office released a report evaluating the impact and effectiveness of the “safe harbor” provisions contained in Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The report recommends “rebalancing” the “safe harbor” protection — jeopardizing one of the most important safeguards for the Open Internet without taking due account of ways the current system has been abused.

Today, we’re happy to announce our newest white paper, “Making Sense of the Termination Right: How the System Fails Artists and How to Fix It,” which explores the “termination right” — the inalienable right of an artist, author, or creator to terminate a copyright license or grant and take back the rights they have lost. […]

Today, Public Knowledge sent a letter urging Congress to vote against H.R. 2426, the CASE Act. Public Knowledge opposes the bill as written because it would create an unaccountable “court” within the legislative branch and empower it to issue unreviewable, unappealable default judgments.

Last night, the House Judiciary Committee marked up Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ (D-NY) bill, “Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019,” (H.R. 2426), to establish a new Copyright Claim Board within the United States Copyright Office.

Today, the Senate Judiciary Committee marked up Senator John Kennedy’s (R-LA) bill, “Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019,” (S. 1273), to establish a new Copyright Claim Board within the United States Copyright Office. Public Knowledge opposes the bill as written due to grave concerns with its contents.