On the same day House Judiciary Committee leadership was proposing a small claims adjudication mechanism within the Copyright Office as one of its initial reform proposals, Reps. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) were introducing a bill to create a small claims mechanism in the Copyright Office.
The bill, the Fairness for American Small Creators is intended to give smaller content creators a faster and easier way to pursue copyright infringement claims rather than fact the cost of a federal court suit.
“Core copyright industries are essential to our economy, contributing $1.2 trillion – or almost 7% of our GDP – in 2015,” said Chu. “Part of that contribution comes from small and individual creators who depend on licensing and copyright to turn their art into a living. However, the increase in digital theft has made it harder for creators to be properly compensated for their work."
