Orrin Hatch: “I rise today to laud the Senate passage of H.R. 672. This legislation, which was introduced by Congressman Coble in the…”

“I rise today to laud the Senate passage of H.R. 672. This legislation, which was introduced by Congressman Coble in the House of Representatives, is the counterpart to legislation I introduced in the Senate on March 20 of this year--the Copyright Clarification Act of 1997, S. 506. The Copyright Clarification Act was reported unanimously by the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 17. The purpose of these bills is to make technical but needed changes to our Nation's copyright laws in order to ensure the effective administration of our copyright system and the U.S. Copyright Office. The need for these changes was first brought to my attention by the Register of Copyrights, Marybeth Peters, and I want to thank her for her outstanding work. Among the most important amendments made by H.R. 672 is a clarification of the Copyright Office's authority to increase its fees for the first time since 1990 in order to help cover its costs and to reduce the impact of its services on the Federal budget and the American taxpayer.”