The photographic community and visual artists may have a new piece of legislation that will protect them and their artwork from theft and infringement.
The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2017 or the CASE Act is a new piece of legislation that's been introduced by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-8) in the 115th Congress (2017-2018) and has co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle including Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA), Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA), and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX). This new bill will allow creators to use the small claims process to protect themselves and their work from theft and infringement outside of the longer and more costly federal court process.
The small claims process is what many photographers would use for image and intellectual property theft that occurs on a regular basis. These thefts are monetarily too small to be applicable for the federal courts, but do cause damages and lost revenue for many visual artists and small businesses. This is why if you are in the United States you should support this bill. You can read the current version of the bill in it's entirety here.
Professional Photographers of America have set up a page to help promote this legislation and to more easily allow you to connect with your personal representative. Make your voice be heard and tell your representative why being able to protect your copyright matters.
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