To improve the process by which the Librarian of Congress considers requests for exemptions to section 1201(a)(1)(A) of title 17, United States Code, and to ease restrictions on the use of certain statutory exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Actions Overview (1)
Date
Actions Overview
04/16/2015
Introduced in House
All Actions (3)
Date
All Actions
05/15/2015
Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet.
Action By: Committee on the Judiciary
04/16/2015
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Action By: House of Representatives
04/16/2015
Introduced in House
Action By: House of Representatives
Cosponsors (0)
Committees (1)
Committees, subcommittees and links to reports associated with this bill are listed here, as well as the nature and date of committee activity and Congressional report number.
Committee / Subcommittee
Date
Activity
Related Documents
House Judiciary
04/16/2015
Referred to
House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet
05/15/2015
Referred to
Related Bills (1)
Bill relationships are identified by the House, the Senate, or CRS, and refer only to same-congress measures. Read more About Related Bills.
Revises procedures established under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for the Librarian of Congress to conduct an administrative rulemaking every three years to determine whether to exempt certain noninfringing uses of a copyrighted work from the statutory prohibition on circumventing a technological measure controlling access to a particular class of work.
Requires the Librarian, when evaluating whether to allow an administrative exemption, to consider the impact of the circumvention prohibition on: (1) any reduction in the availability for use of copyrighted works; (2) repairs, recycling, or other fair uses when applied to copyrighted works, as well as access to information not subject to copyright protection; (3) accessibility of works and technologies for persons with disabilities; and (4) security research.
Prohibits the Librarian from placing the burden of proof on the proponent of an exemption. Requires consideration of the totality of the evidence.
Allows the Librarian to make administrative exemption determinations through rulemaking proceedings outside of the three-year review process if it is substantially likely that users of a copyrighted work are, or are likely to be in the succeeding three-year period, adversely affected by virtue of the prohibition in their ability to make noninfringing uses.
Requires the Librarian to automatically renew for an ensuing three-year period any exemptions granted under a rulemaking unless, as a result of changed circumstances, it is unlikely that users are adversely affected by the prohibition.
Establishes a presumption that users are likely to be adversely affected if a technological measure inhibits noninfringing uses that improve accessibility of works or technologies for persons with disabilities.
Expands existing statutory exceptions by removing certain restrictions and conditions that apply to permissible circumventions for:
reverse engineering to achieve interoperability of an independently created computer program with other programs;
encryption research on copies, phonorecords, performances, or displays of a published work;
activities to prevent the collection or dissemination of personally identifying information about a natural person; or
authorized security testing on computer systems or networks.
Revises procedures established under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for the Librarian of Congress to conduct an administrative rulemaking every three years to determine whether to exempt certain noninfringing uses of a copyrighted work from the statutory prohibition on circumventing a technological measure controlling access to a particular class of work.
Requires the Librarian, when evaluating whether to allow an administrative exemption, to consider the impact of the circumvention prohibition on: (1) any reduction in the availability for use of copyrighted works; (2) repairs, recycling, or other fair uses when applied to copyrighted works, as well as access to information not subject to copyright protection; (3) accessibility of works and technologies for persons with disabilities; and (4) security research.
Prohibits the Librarian from placing the burden of proof on the proponent of an exemption. Requires consideration of the totality of the evidence.
Allows the Librarian to make administrative exemption determinations through rulemaking proceedings outside of the three-year review process if it is substantially likely that users of a copyrighted work are, or are likely to be in the succeeding three-year period, adversely affected by virtue of the prohibition in their ability to make noninfringing uses.
Requires the Librarian to automatically renew for an ensuing three-year period any exemptions granted under a rulemaking unless, as a result of changed circumstances, it is unlikely that users are adversely affected by the prohibition.
Establishes a presumption that users are likely to be adversely affected if a technological measure inhibits noninfringing uses that improve accessibility of works or technologies for persons with disabilities.
Expands existing statutory exceptions by removing certain restrictions and conditions that apply to permissible circumventions for:
reverse engineering to achieve interoperability of an independently created computer program with other programs;
encryption research on copies, phonorecords, performances, or displays of a published work;
activities to prevent the collection or dissemination of personally identifying information about a natural person; or
authorized security testing on computer systems or networks.
