{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.tillis.senate.gov/2020/12/bipartisan-legislation-led-by-tillis-to-protect-independent-copyright-owners-and-content-creators-to-be-signed-into-law", "Bipartisan Legislation Led By Tillis To Protect Independent Copyright Owners and Content Creators to Be Signed Into Law", "2020-12-22", "2020", "2020-12", "Republican", "House", "NC", "Thom Tillis", "T000476", "www.tillis.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C.  Today, bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Kennedy (R-LA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) that would establish the Copyright Claims Board at the Copyright Office is expected to be signed into law. The CASE Act makes it easier and less expensive for independent creators, such as photographers, songwriters, and graphic artists, to protect their creative works from theft. The CASE Act was included in the year-end spending package that is expected to be signed into law this week. The legislation passed the House last year with 410 votes and was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by unanimous voice vote.\r\nI applaud my colleagues for passing this legislation so independent artists can rely on copyright laws to protect their work, said Senator Tillis. The current system makes it difficult for them to recover damages in a cost-effective manner, and this bipartisan bill will provide a more efficient way for copyright owners to protect their intellectual property and ensure that content creators can be properly paid.\r\nCreative ideas are your property, whether you're a photographer or an independent movie director, said Senator Kennedy. It shouldn't cost you a fortune to protect your creativity from copyright infringement, so it's good to see the funding package include the CASE Act to create a legal avenue for artists to pursue copyright violations more quickly and less expensively. Louisiana's rich culture and history are rooted in the successes of talented artists, musicians and authors. This is a key way to ensure Americans' creative spirit is preserved and protected.\r\nThe CASE Act will create a voluntary small claims process to help individual creators and small businesses resolve copyright disputes quickly and at reasonable cost, said Senator Durbin. This broadly bipartisan legislation passed the House of Representatives last year with 410 votes and was reported out of the Senate Judiciary Committee by unanimous voice vote. This important bill is the product of years of hard work and deliberation, and I thank my bipartisan group of colleagues in the Senate and House for their efforts to get it across the finish line.\r\nFor too long, the copyright system has left no practical way for many creators to protect their rights as copyright holders, said Senator Hirono. By creating the Copyright Claims Board, this legislation establishes a venue where small creators can actually enforce their intellectual property rights and finally be appropriately paid for their work.\r\nSupporters of the CASE Act include:\r\n \r\nACT|the App Association\r\nAFL-CIO\r\nAlliance for Women Film Composers\r\nAmerican Association of Independent Music\r\nAmerican Bar Association\r\nAmerican Conservative Union\r\nAmerican Intellectual Property Law Association\r\nAmerican Photographic Artists\r\nAmerican Society for Collective Rights Licensing\r\nAmerican Society of Journalists and Authors\r\nAmerican Society of Media Photographers\r\nAssociation of American Publishers\r\nAssociation of Health Care Journalists\r\nAuthors Guild\r\nConservatives for Property Rights\r\nCopyright Alliance\r\nCreativeFuture\r\nDigital Media Licensing Association\r\nDramatists Guild of America\r\nFuture of Music Coalition\r\nGarden Communicators International\r\nGraphic Artists Guild\r\nHorror Writers' Association\r\nIndependent Book Publishers Association\r\nInstitute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice\r\nInternational Authors Forum\r\nLatin Recording Academy\r\nLiving Legends Foundation \r\nMusic Answers\r\nNashville Songwriters Association International\r\nNAACP\r\nNational Music Publishers Association\r\nNational Press Photographers Association\r\nNational Small Business Association\r\nNational Writers Union/UAW Local 1981\r\nNews Media Alliance\r\nNorth American Nature Photography Association\r\nNovelists, Inc.\r\nProfessional Photographers of America\r\nRecording Academy\r\nRecording Industry Association of America\r\nRomance Writers of America\r\nRhythm & Blues Foundation\r\nScience Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America\r\nScreen Actors Guild?American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)\r\nSmall Business & Entrepreneurship Council\r\nSociety of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators\r\nSociety of Composers and Lyricists \r\nSongpreneurs\r\nSongwriters Guild of America\r\nSongwriters of North America\r\nSoundExchange, Inc.\r\nU.S. Black Chambers, Inc.\r\nU.S. Chamber of Commerce\r\n \r\n\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.tillis.senate.gov/2020/12/bipartisan-legislation-led-by-tillis-to-protect-independent-copyright-owners-and-content-creators-to-be-signed-into-law"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8021830581128597, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}