Political Quotes

“America's founders recognized and valued the creativity of this Nation's citizens such that intellectual property rights are rooted in the Constitution. Article I, section 8, clause 8 of the Constitution states that ``The Congress shall have power * * * [t]o promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.'' The Continental Congress proclaimed, ``Nothing is more properly a man's own than the fruit of his study.'' Protecting intellectual property rights is just as important today as it was when America was a fledgling nation. It is for this reason I am pleased that the Senate is considering H.R. 2265, the ``No Electronic Theft [NET] Act of 1997.'' I introduced the first legislation on this subject in 1995. The bill was the ``Criminal Copyright Improvement Act of 1995,'' and it stood as the only legislation on this issue in the 104th Congress. I then made some changes to that bill and introduced it this session as the ``Criminal Copyright Improvement Act of 1997,'' S. 1044. Senator Kyl is an original cosponsor of S. 1044 and I thank him for his support. Like the Criminal Copyright Improvement Act of 1997, the NET Act of 1997 would close a significant loophole in our copyright law and enhance the Government's ability to bring criminal charges in certain cases of willful copyright infringement.”