Call to Action: Support the CASE Act 2019
On June 10, 2019, the SCL submitted a letter to the Chairman and Ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee in support of the CASE Act. The CASE Act, if passed, will provide important protections to music and other content creators by allowing us a cost-effective mechanism to defend our authorship rights should they ever be infringed. A copy of the letter is included below.
In addition to our own efforts as an organization, we urge all SCL members to help individually by expressing your support for the CASE Act to your respective Senate and House Representatives. We have prepared a suggested statement for this purpose:
Dear ____________,
As a music creator working primarily in the audio-visual industry, I would like to voice my support for H.R. 2426, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019 (CASE Act), which was introduced in the House on May 1, 2019, with companion Bill, S. 1273, in the Senate.
The ability to defend copyright claims is vital to our community of music creators, whose authorship copyrights are frequently infringed. Without it, the very system of copyrights becomes meaningless. Currently, any legal recourse is out of reach to all but the wealthiest of parties. Infringements must be contested exclusively in Federal courts and at costs often exceeding half a million dollars — well beyond our means. We are therefore unable to challenge these infringements in any way, leaving our rights of authorship and earning capacity critically diminished.
The proposed CASE Act would remedy this state of affairs by establishing a voluntary, affordable and simplified alternative to litigation in Federal court. It revives a practical value and meaning to copyright law, giving we creators an avenue to enforce our rights and protect our work. It will eliminate the need to hire a lawyer and will limit statutory damages to $15,000 per claim – one-tenth of the current recoverable maximum – and limiting the total recovery per case to $30,000. In addition, this process would be completely optional.
As creators, we make an important contribution to the culture and economy of the United States. We deserve real protections from would-be infringers and the opportunity to defend our authorship rights in a cost-effective and expedient manner. I believe The Case Act provides these essential protections and urge you to consider co-sponsoring the Act.
Thank you for your support.
[CongressLookup]
Here is the full letter submitted by the SCL:
CASE Act Support 2019