Goodlatte Statement on World Intellectual Property Day

Statement

House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) released the following statement marking World Intellectual Property (IP) Day.

Chairman Goodlatte: "Article I Section 8 of our Constitution lays the framework for our nation's copyright and patent laws. It grants Congress the power to award inventors and creators, for limited amounts of time, exclusive rights to their inventions and works. Our Founding Fathers realized that this type of incentive was crucial to ensure that America would become the world's leader in innovation and creativity. This truth is still applicable today. Intellectual property industries are one of America's chief job creators and competitive advantages in the global marketplace, creating millions of high-skilled, high-paying U.S. jobs and contributing billions to our economy.

"As a steadfast guardian of IP protections, the House Judiciary Committee continues to focus on protecting American innovation and creativity in an effort to create jobs and restore economic prosperity to America.

"Two years ago, at an event marking World IP Day, I announced that the House Judiciary Committee would conduct a comprehensive review of U.S. copyright law to determine whether the laws are still working in the digital age. As technology continues to rapidly advance, we must ensure that our copyright system can keep pace. This week, the House Judiciary Committee will continue our review with a hearing on the U.S. Copyright Office's perspective on updates to our copyright laws. The Committee looks forward to the testimony of Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante regarding whether our copyright laws are still working in the digital age to reward creativity and protect the rights of authors, artists, and creators."

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