United States of America

[US]Two Bills on protection of copyright on the information superhighway

IRIS 1996-6:1/8

Andrea Schneider

Institute of European Media Law (EMR), Saarbrücken/Brussels

In the USA two identical Bills, dealing with the protection of copyright on the information superhighway were submitted to both chambers of Congress on 28/29.09.1995.

They are based on an initiative set in motion in 1993 by President Clinton for the creation of a National Information Infrastructure (NII) and the report drawn up on this by a working party dealing with copyright problems caused by the creation of worldwide digital information networks, and ways of solving them. The Bills include five main proposals: 1. The right to broadcast should also include the transmission of copies and sound recordings. 2. Libraries should be allowed to produce up to three copies in digital form and a limited number of copies for digital preservation. 3. The import, manufacture and sale of equipment and the offer to provide services intended to overcome technical protection systems designed to prevent prejudice to exclusive rights, should be prohibited. 4. The circulation of deliberately false "copyright management information" and its unauthorised removal or alteration should be prohibited. 5. Civil and criminal sentences should also be introduced for contravening the provisions governing copyright protection.