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Date: Wed, 27 Dec 1995
>From: Henry Huang <•••@••.•••>
Subject: ACM Statement on Copyright White Paper
This was put out about a month ago, and got buried in my "todo"
box thanx to more pressing concerns.
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PRESS RELEASE
December 1, 1995
US Public Policy Office of the Association for Computing (ACM)
Contact: Barbara Simons at (408) 463-5661
USACM web page - http://www.acm.org/usacm/
ACM CALLS FOR REVIEW OF COPYRIGHT LEGISLATION
RECOMMENDS MODEL POLICY FOR CONSIDERATION
WASHINGTON, DC -- The Association for Computing (ACM), an international
membership organization of information and computer professionals,
today expressed concern about a proposal to extend copyright
restrictions to the Internet. In a letter to the Senate and House
Judiciary Committees, the ACM urged Congressional leaders to pursue
further public debate before adopting legislation that "fails to
recognize legitimate needs and interests of academic, professional,
scientific, and ordinary users of telecommunications technology."
The letter is a response to S. 1284 and H.R. 2441, the
Information Infrastructure Copyright Act of 1995. The Act is based on
a White Paper prepared by a government working group on intellectual
property rights chaired by Assistant Secretary of Commerce and
Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks Bruce A. Lehman. This White
Paper recommends that Congress restructure the current copyright law.
The ACM letter warns that certain provisions in the bill "would
impede legitimate needs of the scientific and academic communities to
disseminate and study information in a free and speedy fashion." ACM
cautions that as written, the bill "expands the legal interpretation of
'copyright infringement,' by making it unlawful to browse through
digital libraries found on-line, whether those libraries are located on
the Internet or elsewhere."
The ACM warns that the inclusion of the word "transmission" in
a particular section of the bill "may be interpreted by the courts to
cover a transmission to a video screen for period of time long enough
for such material to be read." The letter concludes that as written,
the Information Infrastructure Copyright Act may criminalize browsing,
a widespread activity on the Internet today.
ACM submitted a model copyright policy, developed specifically
for the dissemination of electronic information. The ACM policy
encourages browsing while deterring copying for profit or commercial
advantage.
Stu Zweben, President of ACM stated that the "ACM has developed
an effective policy to deal with copyright in the electronic age. This
policy reflects the technical expertise, publishing expertise, and the
basic interests of the scientific and educational communities that ACM
serves. Policy makers should be cognizant of our work, and account for
these interests before enacting legislation on this issue."
Zweben said, "It is important that ACM exercise its leadership
in information technology by speaking out on this issue."
Barbara Simons, Chair of the U.S. Public Policy Committee of
ACM said, "Our nation is facing the question of how to integrate the
new electronic technology into our society and our legal system.
Protection of intellectual property is clearly of great importance.
However, we need to exercise caution when considering new laws and
restrictions. ACM looks forward to working with Congress to explore
appropriate technical and legislative methods for protecting
intellectual property."
The ACM is an educational and scientific organization otherwise
known as the Association for Computing. The membership of the ACM
includes more than 85,000 information and computing professionals
worldwide, including almost 70,000 persons who reside in the United
States.
A copy of the ACM Letter on the Information Infrastructure
Copyright Act may be found at
http://www.acm.org/usacm/copyright_letter.txt. For further information
about the ACM public policy activities, contact the USACM at 666
Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Suite 301, Washington, DC 20003, telephone
(202) 298-0842 or contact Barbara Simons at (408) 463-5661. The full
text of the Lehman White Paper, the Information Infrastructure
Copyright Act, and other material concerning intellectual property
including the ACM Model Policy is available at the USACM web page
(http://www.acm.org/usacm/).
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Posted by Richard K. Moore (•••@••.•••) Wexford, Ireland
Cyber-Rights: http://www.cpsr.org/cpsr/nii/cyber-rights/
CyberLib: http://www.internet-eireann.ie/cyberlib
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