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July 10, 2000 | For Immediate Release | New York, NY
The Legislative Appropriation for fiscal year 2001 contained a massive budget cut for the Copyright Office. The House Appropriations Committee has recommended a 42% cut in the requested Copyright Office budget of $12,120,000. That amounts to the Copyright Office operating on a budget of $6,987,630. The Committee thinks the Copyright Office could raise fees to cover the shortfall. The only other alternative would be for it to eliminate 130 positions.
Weren’t fees just raised?
Yes, the Copyright Office went through something similar last year when Congress had it go through a process that raised the basic copyright fee by 50% and other fees by more than 200%. These fees were to remain in effect for three years.
What does all this mean to those in the visual communications industry?
The Copyright Office being forced to raise fees again place another financial crunch on the creative community. If the Copyright Office is forced to eliminate 130 positions (25% of their staff), its ability to carry out its basic mission of protecting American creators and their work from piracy will be in jeopardy.
Exercise your basic right as an American citizen and a creator of work that benefits from the protection of copyright. Write to your elected Congressional leaders outlining the damage that these budget cuts will incur on graphic artists and their ability to survive as a small business enterprise. Demand that $5,000,000 be restored to the Copyright Office budget so that it can continue the mandate set before it of protecting what is created in America.
R E L A T E D: Read 8/3/00 Copyright Update!