CCIA joined NetCoalition in filing comments at the request of the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator today. CCIA asked that the Administration’s IP be aligned to better reflect our diplomatic and trade goals, though it praised the USTR for its attempts so far to better balance copyright in the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership.
CCIA said that there has been a long standing tendency to favor the interests of rightsholders at the expense of Internet exports, but that no longer made good economic sense.
Among its recommendations, CCIA asked the administration to reassess statutory damages, noting on its list that it did not make sense to have minimus damages of $750 for downloading an album that could be purchased for $15 on iTunes. CCIA advised the administration to resist efforts to erode the first sale doctrine that allows consumers to resell products without violating IP rights. CCIA also explains how some copyright owners are now misusing protections of the Copyright Act to prevent competition.