MPAA, SIIA Praise Filing of Copyright Office for the Digital Economy Act

MPAA and the Software and Information Industry Association lauded reintroduction Tuesday of the Copyright Office for the Digital Economy Act (HR-890). The bill would separate the CO from the Library of Congress but keep it within the legislative branch (see 1702070045). CO “modernization enjoys bipartisan, bicameral support, as evidenced by” a CO-centric proposal from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and committee ranking member John Conyers, D-Mich. (see 1701310047), said MPAA CEO Chris Dodd in a statement. The Goodlatte/Conyers proposal suggested giving the office more autonomy from the LOC (see 1612080061 and 1612220048). Dodd also cited “statements from” Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and former committee ranking member Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. HR-890 “represents the bipartisan consensus that the way that the Copyright Office has operated in the past is no longer viable,” said SIIA Senior Vice President-Public Policy Mark MacCarthy in a statement.