================================================================= ALAWON Volume 5, Number 31 ISSN 1069-7799 May 23, 1996 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES CANCEL AND CLASH OVER CONSIDERATION OF CRITICAL COPYRIGHT MEASURES CORRECTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUES _________________________________________________________________ CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES CANCEL AND CLASH OVER CONSIDERATION OF CRITICAL COPYRIGHT MEASURES NII COPYRIGHT PROTECTION ACT - For the second time in as many weeks, the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual of Property postponed a meeting originally slated for Wednesday of this week to mark up the "NII Copyright Protection Act" (S. 1284/ H.R.2441), the Administration's package of proposals to update the Copyright Act to begin to deal with "cyberspace." Reportedly, changes in the original version of the bill made by Subcommittee Chairman Carlos Moorhead to sensibly narrow the scope of overly broad "anti-piracy" provisions were unacceptable to major copyright owners. In addition, final agreement consensus had not been achieved on how best to limit the liability for copyright infringement of "on-line service providers," which could include libraries and schools. The Subcommittee may attempt to vote on H.R. 2441 again on June 5, but it remains unclear whether these -- and other significant issues -- can be resolved by then. In the interim, ALA continues to strongly support the package of "corrective amendments" to the bill offered by the Digital Future Coalition. Members are encouraged to write to Judiciary Committee members in strong support of those proposals, particularly those related to Fair Use, distance education, and digital preservation. A full list of the House Judiciary Committee and its staff follows this message. COPYRIGHT TERM EXTENSION ACT - Meanwhile, across the Hill, the Senate Judiciary Committee met today to consider the "Copyright Term Extension Act" (S. 483/H.R. 989), which would extend the length of copyright protection by 20 years. The Committee passed the measure, thus sending it next to the full Senate for possible floor debate. Senator Simon, (D-IL), spoke out in support of an amendment to the legislation proposed by the Register Of Copyrights to allow libraries and archives to preserve, distribute, reproduce, display and perform works in the last 20 years of copyright (in digital and facsimile form) for purposes of scholarship and research. Chairman Hatch, (R-UT), reiterated his commitment to assist libraries in crafting an amendment to the bill which respected both copyright owners and the public interest. Senator Hank Brown, (R-CO), speaking on a related measure, was eloquent in general support of the need for balance in the Copyright Act and a recognition that extending the copyright term by 20 years conveyed very substantial benefits on copyright owners. Illinois and Colorado readers of ALAWON are encouraged to thank Senators Simon and Brown for their strong support of libraries and their commitment to including an appropriate library exemption in the Copyright Term Extension Act (S. 483). _________________________________________________________________ CORRECTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUES On May 20, 1996 in ALAWON No. 30, the URL for the GAO report on the Library of Congress should have read: http://www.gao.gov/special.pubs.loc.htm On May 17, 1996 in ALAWON No. 29, Representative Bob Goodlatte's home town should have been identified as Roanoke, Virginia. _________________________________________________________________ ALAWON is a free, irregular publication of the American Library Association Washington Office. To subscribe, send the message "subscribe ala-wo [your_firstname] [your_lastname]" to . ALAWON archives gopher.ala.org; select Washington Office Newsline. Web page HTTP://www.ala.org/alawashington.html. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Contributors: Adam M. Eisgrau, and Claudette W. Tennant All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================