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#Diverse Coalition Launches to Promote Balanced Copyright Law, Creativity and Free Speech

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Organizations from across the political spectrum, companies and associations joined forces today to launch Re:Create, a new coalition dedicated to promoting balanced copyright laws in the United States.

The coalition, with members ranging from the American Library Association to the R Street Institute to the Computer and Communications Industry Association and Consumer Electronics Association, will work to ensure that copyright laws are clear, simple and transparent, while also fostering innovation, creativity, education and economic growth. Re:Create will focus on engaging and informing lawmakers about the need to support exceptions and limitations, such as fair use and safe harbors, curbing statutory damages and combating abusive copyright enforcement practices.

Our evolving copyright laws risk stifling – rather than empowering – innovation. Since they regulate speech, expression, and communication, they must be tailored carefully so as to not encroach unnecessarily upon free speech and a dynamic marketplace,” said Ed Black, President CEO of the Computer Communications Industry Association.

“The Internet has lowered the barriers for everyone. As technological innovation continues to advance at a rapid pace, copyright law must catch up. Overregulation protects past success at the cost of future opportunities and allows for exploitation of the current system,” said Andrew Moylan, Executive Director of the R Street Institute.

“The Supreme Court has held that the primary objective of copyright is to ‘promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts.’ We must be careful that efforts to reduce copyright infringement do not prevent legitimate uses, free expression, new innovations, or bring unnecessary harm to the public,” said Courtney Young, President of the American Library Association.

The internet has empowered everyone online to be a creator, opening up new audiences and markets for innovative people and businesses. We must work proactively to ensure that copyright laws keep up with our amazing technological advances, allow for creativity to flow to all corners of the world, and still respect the rights of content creators.The diversity of this coalition demonstrates the broad commitment to achieving sustainable, forward-looking copyright laws,” said Nuala O’Connor, President CEO of the Center for Democracy Technology.

The following are members of the Re:Create Coalition: American Library Association, Association of Research Libraries, Center for Democracy Technology, Computer and Communications Industry Association, Consumer Electronics Association, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Media Democracy Fund, New America’s Open Technology Institute, Public Knowledge, and R Street Institute.

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