================================================================= ALAWON Volume 7, Number 10 ISSN 1069-7799 January 30, 1998 American Library Association Washington Office Newsline In this issue: (134 lines) ACTION ALERT: SECOND APPEAL FOR IMMEDIATE CONGRESSIONAL CONTACTS IN SUPPORT OF PENDING DIGITAL COPYRIGHT LEGISLATION _________________________________________________________________ ACTION ALERT: SECOND APPEAL FOR IMMEDIATE CONGRESSIONAL CONTACTS IN SUPPORT OF PENDING DIGITAL COPYRIGHT LEGISLATION As detailed recently, landmark legislation to update the nation's copyright laws for the digital age--including the Fair Use Doctrine--is now pending in both chambers of Congress. On January 14 ALA Council endorsed these watershed bills: S. 1146, Sen. John Ashcroft's (R-MO) Digital Copyright Clarification and Technology Act, and H.R. 3048, the Digital Era Copyright Enhancement Act, introduced by Reps. Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Tom Campbell (R-CA). (See ALAWON, vol. 6, nos. 117-119, December 18, 1997.) ACTION ALERT With this week's opening of the second session of the 105th Congress, it is crucial that all librarians, educators, trustees, parents, and friends of libraries ask both of their Senators to cosponsor S. 1146 and ask their member of the House of Representatives to cosponsor H.R. 3048. Why is this urgent now? First, these bills may be taken up in committee as soon as the end of February. Second, most members will not sign on as the cosponsor of a bill unless a constituent requests it. All ALA members and library supporters are urgently requested to write or call your House and Senate delegations specifically requesting "cosponsorship" (not merely "support")of these bills. The U.S. Capitol Switchboard phone number is 202-224-3121. E-mail also can be effective. For a directory of Congressional e-mail addresses, consult the Library of Congress web page at http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/legislative/email.html Your letter or communication might include these key points: I recently learned that bipartisan legislation has been introduced [insert bill number and name of sponsor; see IMPORTANT NOTE below] which would broadly update copyright law for the future in a way that will both protect the owners of information and continue to allow librarians and educators access to information under reasonable circumstances. I am writing to you today to ask that you lend your name to that legislation. As a [librarian/library user/library trustee/friend of libraries], I feel strongly that any changes made to the Copyright Act must be balanced in a way that allows the benefits of the Internet to reach all sectors of society, especially library users and students. This bill will accomplish this very important goal in several important ways. Please add your name to this bill as a cosponsor. IMPORTANT NOTE Letters to Senators should refer only to: S. 1146, Sen. John Ashcroft's (R-MO) Digital Copyright Clarification and Technology Act. Letters to House members should refer only to: H.R. 3048, the Digital Era Copyright Enhancement Act, introduced by Reps. Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Tom Campbell (R-CA). IF YOU HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN TO YOUR LEGISLATORS ON THIS ISSUE, thank you, but please make a follow-up call. It may take a couple of reminders before your request is acted upon by a busy congressional office. Be persistent, and thanks for your help. It is critical that Congress know that you care about updating copyright law for all Americans. Libraries' effectiveness and vitality in the 21st century depends on them...and on you. BACKGROUND Both bills, the Digital Copyright Clarification and Technology Act (S. 1146) and the Digital Era Copyright Enhancement Act (H.R. 3048), would update current law to make clear that Fair Use fully applies in the networked environment and that preservationists may use the latest technologies and methods. In addition, H.R. 3048 would extend the First Sale Doctrine--the basis of all library lending--to the electronic environment. All three bill sponsors, Sen. John Ashcroft (R-MO) and Reps. Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Tom Campbell (R-CA), also have demonstrated their commitment to assure that no library or librarian should be legally liable for any copyright infringement committed by a library user acting independently. The bills represent a positive approach to updating the Copyright Act to meet the challenges of the digital environment while, at the same time, preserving the critical balance between copyright owners and users in the electronic age. FOR MORE INFORMATION For detailed information about contacting your Senators and Representatives and further background on this critical legislation, please consult the ALA Washington Office website at http://www.ala.org/washoff and the Digital Future Coalition's home page at http://www.dfc.org. Inquiries also may be directed to Adam Eisgrau, legislative counsel for the ALA Washington Office, at 800/941-8478. ________________________________________________________________ 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 listproc @ala.org. To unsubscribe, send the message: unsubscribe ala-wo to listproc@ala.org. ALAWON archives at http://www.ala.org/ washoff/alawon. Visit our Web site at http://www.alawash.org. ALA Washington Office 202.628.8410 (V) 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, #403 202.628.8419 (F) Washington, DC 20004-1701 800.941.8478 (V) Lynne E. Bradley, Editor Deirdre Herman, Managing Editor Contributors: Adam M. Eisgrau All materials subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for noncommercial purposes with appropriate credits. =================================================================