The Unlocking Technology Act of 2013

Last updated
Unlocking Technology Act
Great Seal of the United States (obverse).svg
Long titleTo amend section 1201 of title 17, United States Code, to require the infringement of a copyright for a violation of such section, and for other purposes
Enacted bythe 113th United States Congress
Codification
U.S.C. sections amended 17 U.S.C.   § 1201
Legislative history

The Unlocking Technology Act of 2013 is a United States proposed bi-partisan [1] bill that aims to allow circumvention of digital rights management as long as there is no intention of copyright infringement. The bill would legalize actions such as cell phone unlocking and creating versions of copyrighted works specifically designed to be accessible to blind (visually impaired) users. [2] Section 2 of the bill would also require the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information of the Department of Commerce to issue a report on the impact of 17 U.S.C. 1201 on consumer choice, competition, and free flow of information. [3] The bipartisan bill introduced by Zoe Lofgren(D-CA) had three cosponsors: Thomas Massie (R-KY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Jared Polis (D-CO). [4]

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city is New York City. Most of the country is located contiguously in North America between Canada and Mexico.

Digital rights management (DRM) tools or technological protection measures (TPM) are a set of access control technologies for restricting the use of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works. DRM technologies try to control the use, modification, and distribution of copyrighted works, as well as systems within devices that enforce these policies.

Copyright infringement Intellectual property violation

Copyright infringement is the use of works protected by copyright law without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works. The copyright holder is typically the work's creator, or a publisher or other business to whom copyright has been assigned. Copyright holders routinely invoke legal and technological measures to prevent and penalize copyright infringement.

On 8 May 2013, the bill was assigned to two committees House Judiciary and House Ways and Means. [5] As of December 18,2013, House Ways and Means had taken no action on the bill. [5] House Judiciary reassigned the bill to the Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet subcommittee which has taken no action on the bill. [5] Since being introduced the bill garnered four more co-sponsors: Peter DeFazio (D-OR4) (joined May 16, 2013), Rush Holt (D-NJ12) (joined May 16, 2013), Steve Israel (D-NY3) (joined Jul 08, 2013), and Sam Farr (D-CA20) (joined Jul 30, 2013). [5]

United States House Committee on the Judiciary Standing committee of the United States House of Representatives

The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, administrative agencies and Federal law enforcement entities. The Judiciary Committee is also the committee responsible for impeachments of federal officials. Because of the legal nature of its oversight, committee members usually have a legal background, but this is not required.

United States House Committee on Ways and Means Standing committee of the United States House of Representatives

The Committee on Ways and Means is the chief tax-writing committee of the United States House of Representatives. Members of the Ways and Means Committee are not allowed to serve on any other House Committee unless they are granted a waiver from their party's congressional leadership. The Committee has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs, and other revenue-raising measures, as well as a number of other programs including Social Security, unemployment benefits, Medicare, the enforcement of child support laws, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and foster care and adoption programs.

United States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property is a subcommittee within the House committee on the Judiciary. It has jurisdiction over the following subject matters: copyright, patent, trademark law, information technology, antitrust matters, other appropriate matters as referred by the Chairman, and relevant oversight.

Numerous organizations have endorsed the bill, including Public Knowledge, [1] Generation Opportunity, R Street, Cascade Policy Institute, Harbour League, and Let Freedom Ring.[ citation needed ]

Public Knowledge is a non-profit Washington, D.C.-based public interest group that is involved in intellectual property law, competition, and choice in the digital marketplace, and an open standards/end-to-end internet.

Generation Opportunity is a center-right political advocacy organization in the United States focused on economic policy and aimed at young adults. It is a sister organization to the Americans for Prosperity-led political network initially funded by the Koch family. The group has campaigned against the Affordable Care Act.

The R Street Institute is an American conservative and libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institute's stated mission is to "engage in policy research and outreach to promote free markets and limited, effective government." R Street was established in 2012 when its founders split from the Heartland Institute out of disagreement with Heartland's public denial of the scientific consensus on climate change. In addition to its Washington headquarters, R Street has branch offices in Tallahassee, Florida; Columbus, Ohio; Sacramento, CA; Boston, MA; and Round Rock, TX.

On March 24, 2015, the bill was reintroduced as H.R. 1587. [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 Couts, Andrew (9 May 2013). "Awesome new bill legalizes cell phone unlocking, 'fixes' the DMCA". Digital Trends Newsletter. Designtechnica Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 July 2013.
  2. ↑ Lee, Timothy B. (9 May 2013). "Members of Congress finally introduce serious DMCA reform". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "The Unlocking Technology Act of 2013: Section by section summary" (PDF). Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 December 2013.
  4. ↑ Masnick, Mike (9 May 2013). "Bill Introduced To Fix Anti-Circumvention Provision Of DMCA". Archived from the original on 20 June 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "H.R. 1892: Unlocking Technology Act of 2013". GovTrack (Civic Impulse, LLC).


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