Jim Sensenbrenner: “Mr. Chairman, while considering the underlying bill, we have suggested that Congress is the appropriate place for the…”

“Mr. Chairman, while considering the underlying bill, we have suggested that Congress is the appropriate place for the expansion of the scope of copyright expansion of business' obligations to pay additional fees. Meanwhile, the licensing societies and their defenders in the Congress claim that this body has no role in the music licensing debate where the central issue is a proposal to perhaps modestly diminish their ability to extract fees. But the Constitution itself suggests the need for balanced intellectual property rights. That is precisely what my amendment accomplishes. Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues not to stand aside and permit this Congress to do the bidding of the copyright holders who seek a one-way street to expand their rights while denying balance and fairness to the small business users of intellectual property. My amendment is supported by virtually every small business organization in the country, including the NFIB, the National Restaurant Association, the National Retail Federation, home builders, florists, and the list goes on.”