Howard Berman: “I am very gratified that we finally have before us today the conference report on H.R. 2281, the Digital Millennium…”

“I am very gratified that we finally have before us today the conference report on H.R. 2281, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Enactment of this legislation will make it possible for the United States to adhere to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty, and to the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. These treaties, in turn will lead to better legal protections for U.S. copyrighted materials--movies, recordings, music, computer programs, videogames, and text materials--around the world, and thus will contribute to increased U.S. exports and foreign sales of this valuable intellectual property, and to a decrease in the unacceptably large levels of piracy these products experience today in far too many overseas markets. As the global market for copyrighted materials increasingly becomes a digitized, networked market, there is no step that Congress can take that is more important for the promotion of global electronic commerce in the fruits of Americans creativity. This bill is the fruit of many long months of labor and I salute all of those inside and outside this body who worked long and hard together to achieve this goal.”