Ted Deutch: “This amendment will place a much-needed priority on advancing the technological capabilities of the U.S. Copyright…”

“This amendment will place a much-needed priority on advancing the technological capabilities of the U.S. Copyright Office. I support the underlying bill to make the selection of the Register of Copyrights more open and more transparent. I also support the additional congressional oversight that will be necessary to ensure that the Register is accountable to the American people. I agree with Chairman Goodlatte, Ranking Member Conyers, and my other colleagues on the Judiciary Committee that it is important that this bill move forward now. Making this improvement to the selection process for the next Register is an important first step before the committee advances broader Copyright Office modernization. Even as we take this initial modest step to improve the appointment process, we can do more to strengthen the Copyright Office for today's economy. The Copyright Office's mission is to administer our Nation's copyright laws for the public good. Securing Americans' rights to their intellectual property fosters creativity and benefits all Americans by advancing the arts and the sciences. In recent decades, this mission has been undermined by comically outdated information technology systems at the Copyright Office. My amendment makes a simple change to the underlying bill to ensure that technology is always a part of the equation when selecting a new Register of Copyrights.…”