Patrick Leahy: “more than a week ago I came to the floor to be sure the record was clear that all Democrats had cleared for final…”

“more than a week ago I came to the floor to be sure the record was clear that all Democrats had cleared for final passage H.R. 5107, the Work for Hire and Copyright Corrections Act of 2000. I urged the Senate to take up H.R. 5107 without further unnecessary delay. I am glad that the majority has finally decided that action on this consensus bill is appropriate. I still do not know what caused the unexplained 2-week delay on the Republican side. Representatives Berman and Coble deserve credit, along with the interested parties, for working out a consensus solution in this legislation. The purpose of this bill is to restore the status quo ante, as it existed before November 29, 1999 regarding whether a sound recording can qualify as a ``work made for hire'' under the second part of the definition of that term in section 101 of the Copyright Act, and to do so in a manner that does not prejudice any person or entity that might have interests concerning this question. The House held an oversight hearing to explore this matter earlier this year and originated this legislation.”