Public Knowledge will host a press briefing Wednesday, October 28 at 2 p.m. EDT to discuss the Digital Millennium Copyright Act triennial exemption process for digital locks. The DMCA’s rules against bypassing digital locks harm consumers and interfere with everyday uses of technology, holding people liable for copyright violations just for accessing their own data on their own devices.

Today, the Library of Congress released its rules on what lawful uses of copyrighted works would continue to be prohibited by the anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The rules rejected Public Knowledge’s request for consumers to be able to make personal copies of their DVDs, and granted, with limitations, a variety of other exemptions.

On October 22, the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee asked the Register of Copyrights to draft a report on the role of copyrighted software embedded in everyday products. The report, due December 15, 2016, is to discuss how the ubiquitous presence of copyrighted software in the current environment can affect consumers and existing business models, and how changes to the law might help or hurt users and copyright owners.

Today, Senator Wyden (D-OR) introduced legislation to reform the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Public Knowledge supports the Senator’s Breaking Down Barriers to Innovation Act, which would address the problems posed by the DMCA’s triennial anticircumvention provisions that prevent the unlocking of digital devices even for lawful uses.

This afternoon, the House passed S. 517, the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act, under unanimous consent. The bill allows consumers to “unlock” their cell phones so they can take a phone with them from one service provider to another. The bill already passed in the Senate, and will now make its way to the President’s desk for signing.

Earlier today, the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), approved S 517, the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act. The bill allows consumers to “unlock” their cell phones so they can take a phone with them from one service provider to another.

Today, Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) moved forward on new language for the Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act. The updated version of the bill restores the exemption granted by the Copyright Office under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) allowing customers to “unlock” their cell phones.

Please join Public Knowledge and an expert panel, featuring Corynne Mcsherry of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Blake Reid of the University of Colorado Law School, and Kyle Weins of right to repair group iFixit, in a discussion of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The panel will discuss problems the DMCA gives consumers, innovators, researchers, farmers, and even disabled Americans.

Today, Public Knowledge sent a letter to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees requesting an exemption in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) that would allow people to unlock their cell phones. The letter, signed by a slew of organizations, academics, online communities, startup companies, and cell phone unlocking petition author Sina Khanifar, details that […]

Public Knowledge has proposed changes to three key portions of copyright law:  (1)  notice and takedown procedures;  (2) how to handle “incidental” copies of material and (3) digital music licensing, as part of the organization’s Copyright Reform Act project.

Three papers, each on one of those topics, as well as the other papers from the Copyright Reform Act project, are posted here.

PK President Gigi B. Sohn announced the policy recommendations today by in connection with the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Samuelson Law, Technology and Public Policy Clinic at the University of California at Berkeley School of Law.  The project was undertaken in conjunction with the Samuelson clinic and Stanford Cyberlaw Clinic.