Copyrights Bill [Passed]

[Ebowed]

Copyrights Bill

1. U.S. Code Title 17, Chapter 3, Section 2, Clause 1 is amended to read "Copyright in a work created on or after January 1, 1978, subsists from its creation and, except as provided by the following subsections, endures for a term consisting of twenty-five years or until the death of the owner, whichever occurs first."
2. U.S. Code Title 17, Chapter 3, Section 2, Clause 2 is amended to read "In the case of a joint work prepared by two or more authors who did not work for hire, the copyright endures for a term consisting of twenty-five years or until the death of the last owner of the copyright, whichever occurs first."
3. U.S. Code Title 17, Chapter 3, Section 2, Clause 3 is amended to read "In the case of an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 20 years from the year of its first publication, or a term of 25 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first."
4. No person shall be held liable for the use of computers or the Internet in copying, sharing, or distributing copyrighted music, movie, television, text, image, or software files.


Sponsor: The President pro tempore

[Ebowed]

Section 4 is replaced: No person shall face more severe penalties for the use of computers or the Internet in copying, sharing, or distributing copyrighted music, movie, television, text, image, or software files than if computers or the Internet had not been used.

Could you elaborate on what this means?

The original purpose was to eliminate penalties for breaking copyright law over the Internet, laws which I guarantee more than half of the Senate have broken.

[Ebowed]

We are voting on the following amendments

1.) Section 4 is replaced: No person shall face more severe penalties for the use of computers or the Internet in copying, sharing, or distributing copyrighted music, movie, television, text, image, or software files than if computers or the Internet had not been used.

2.) Section 5 is added: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (17 U.S.C. §§ 512, 1201–1205, 1301–1332; 28 U.S.C. § 4001 and amendments to 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 104, 104A, 108, 112, 114, 117, 701) are repealed.

3.) Section 6 is added: Atlasia shall withdraw its membership from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).


Amendment 1: Abstain
Amendment 2: Aye
Amendment 3: Aye

[Ebowed]

The first amendment passes.

The vote on Amendment #2 is 4-1, with one abstention.

The vote on Amendment #3 is 2-4.

[Ebowed]

The second amendment has passed; the third amendment has failed.

[Ebowed]

Here is the current text of the bill

Copyrights Bill

1. U.S. Code Title 17, Chapter 3, Section 2, Clause 1 is amended to read "Copyright in a work created on or after January 1, 1978, subsists from its creation and, except as provided by the following subsections, endures for a term consisting of twenty-five years or until the death of the owner, whichever occurs first."
2. U.S. Code Title 17, Chapter 3, Section 2, Clause 2 is amended to read "In the case of a joint work prepared by two or more authors who did not work for hire, the copyright endures for a term consisting of twenty-five years or until the death of the last owner of the copyright, whichever occurs first."
3. U.S. Code Title 17, Chapter 3, Section 2, Clause 3 is amended to read "In the case of an anonymous work, a pseudonymous work, or a work made for hire, the copyright endures for a term of 20 years from the year of its first publication, or a term of 25 years from the year of its creation, whichever expires first."
4. No person shall face more severe penalties for the use of computers or the Internet in copying, sharing, or distributing copyrighted music, movie, television, text, image, or software files than if computers or the Internet had not been used.
5. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (17 U.S.C. §§ 512, 1201–1205, 1301–1332; 28 U.S.C. § 4001 and amendments to 17 U.S.C. §§ 101, 104, 104A, 108, 112, 114, 117, 701) are repealed.

[Ebowed]

We are voting on the following amendment

I. Sections 1, 2, and 3 of the bill are struck.

II. A new section 1 is added as follows:
1. It shall be the policy of the Republic of Atlasia that once granted the terms of copyrights should neither be increased or reduced.

III. A new section 2 is added as follows:
2. As of the date of the passage of this Act, any change in the term of copyright of a protected work caused by a change in the law after the date of first publication shall be null and void and the applicable term shall be that called for under the law at the time of first publication.  Any royalties due the copyright holder resulting from such a nullified change in the copyright term for a work published publication after the expiration of the original term the copyright and prior to the date of the passage of this Act shall still be due the copyright holder.

IV. A new section 3 is added as follows:
3. As of the date of the passage of this Act, the term of a copyright granted by the Republic of Atlasia shall be the minimum term required under Article 7 of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works as in force as of the date of the passage of this Act.  Works for hire shall be treated as anonymous works save that moral rights under Article 6bis of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works shall be held by the hirer and not by the anonymous author(s).

[Ebowed]

The amendment passes.

[Ebowed]

Aye

[Ebowed]

1. Nay
2. Nay

[Ebowed]

Aye

[Ebowed]

Aye