MPAA’s Chris Dodd Calls on Congress to Modernize Copyright Office

Former US Senator and current Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) CEO Chris Dodd issued the House Judiciary Committee a letter imploring modernization of the Copyright Office, which is currently under review by a congressional committee. The longterm politician echoed the sentiments of separate lobbying group the Internet Association, which would also like to see the office, housed within the Library of Congress, brought into the 21st century.

“The core copyright industries -- those primarily engaged in creating, producing, distributing and exhibiting copyrighted works -- now contribute more than $1 trillion to the country’s GDP, represent 6.7 percent of the US economy, and are responsible for 5.5 million jobs,” Dodd said in laying out the fiscal importance of the issue. As a result of that sheer size owing to recent growth, Dodd sees too heavy a demand on the Copyright Office in its current state. He asked for the implementation of “better tools” as well as a “more autonomous voice” resulting from the current reassessment.