WASHINGTON—In response to the announcement that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Ranking Member John Conyers (D-MI) have introduced the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act of 2017, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) today released the following statement from Vice President Daniel Castro:
While the U.S. copyright system is foundational to the digital economy, the U.S. Copyright Office has struggled to keep up with demands, in part because of its lack of independence from the Library of Congress, which creates competing budget priorities and has prevented it from pursuing necessary upgrades to its IT systems. This bill would tackle this issue by making the register of copyrights a position that is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, rather than appointed by the librarian of Congress, thereby improving accountability and fostering independence in the Copyright Office. Establishing this accountability and independence is a necessary step forward as Congress works to modernize the Copyright Office to more efficiently and effectively meet the needs of the citizens and businesses it serves.
For additional information on the need for IT modernization in the U.S. Copyright Office, see ITIF’s January 2017 letter to the House Judiciary Committee.
