This is very important information about Fair Use legislation, on which you should take action. It ultimately concerns our ability to use material from films in our research, because a Fair Use amendment *is* now being considered in the mark up of a major digital copyright bill. This amendment needs strong support. ---------------- On Wednesday, June 17 and Thursday June 18, 1998 the House Telecommunications Subcommittee marked-up H.R. 2281, the WIPO legislation. Progress has been made! Given the subcommittee's movement towards meaningful changes and a full Commerce Committee mark-up tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, June 24, 1998 it is critically important that CALLS and FAXES, e-mails and letters cover the entire Commerce Committee. (A list of Commerce Committee members with contact information has been included for your convenience.) It is imperative that concerned voices be heard on Capitol Hill in support of fair use and digital copyright legislation that continues to balance the needs of information owners and users. The Klug-Boucher fair use amendment was proposed at the telecommunications mark-up. After discussion with the leadership of the Commerce Committee and the Telecommunications Subcommittee, this amendment was pulled with the understanding that both sides would work-out appropriate language to protect fair use. In the absence of some negotiated compromise, the crucial Klug-Boucher amendment will receive an up-or-down vote. It says: "All rights, limitations, and defenses with respect to copyright that are available to a user of a work under title 17, United States Code, including but not limited to fair use, shall apply to all actions arising under this section." Support for the Klug-Boucher fair use amendment should be sent to Chairman Bliley, to subcommittee chairman Tauzin, to ranking Democrat Dingell, to ranking subcommittee Democrat Markey, and to all 50 members of the Commerce Committee. It would be useful to contact every member of the House Commerce Committee via fax, phone, e-mail, or letter. Contacts will be most effective if they are received by midday on Tuesday, June 23, 1998. House Commerce Committee less co-sponsors of H.R. 3038 Daniel Bennett Anna G. Eshoo (CA-14-D) 202-225-8104 202-225-8890 David Jorgenson James E. Rogan (CA-27-R) 202-225-4176 202-225-5828 Henry A. Waxman (CA-29-D) 202-225-3976 202-225-4099 Peter Uhlmann Christopher Cox (CA-47-R) 202-225-5611 202-225-9177 Diana DeGette (CO-1-D) 202-225-4431 202-225-5657 Peter Krug Clifford B. Stearns (FL-6-R) 202-225-5744 202-225-3973 Rebecca Hyder Michael Bilirakis (FL-9-R) 202-225-5755 202-225-4085 Fritz Hirst Peter Deutsch (FL-20-D) 202-225-7931 202-225-8456 Sherri Green Nathan Deal (GA-9-R) 202-225-5211 202-225-8272 Michael D. Crapo (ID-2-R) 202-225-5531 202-225-8216 Carol Richardson Bobby L. Rush (IL-1-D) 202-225-4372 202-226-0333 Timothy Kurth[PARA]Amy Jensen J. Dennis Hastert (IL-14-R) 202-225-2976 202-225-0697 Morna Gibbons John M. Shimkus (IL-20-R) 202-225-5271 202-225-5880 Greg Ganske (IA-4-R) 202-225-4426 202-225-3193 Edward Whitfield (KY-1-R) 202-225-3115 202-225-3547 Whitney Fox W. J. Tauzin (LA-3-R) 202-225-4031 202-225-0563 James Ballentine Albert R. Wynn (MD-4-D) 202-225-8699 202-225-8714 Colin Crowell Edward J. Markey (MA-7-D) 202-225-2836 Matt Berzok Bart Stupak (MI-1-D) 202-225-4735 202-225-4744 Jonathan Terry Frederick S. Upton (MI-6-R) 202-225-3761 202-225-4986 John D. Dingell (MI-16-D) 202-225-4071 Andy Walker Karen McCarthy (MO-5-D) 202-225-4535 202-225-4403 Rick A. Lazio (NY-2-R) 202-225-3335 202-225-4669 Cinnamon Rogers Thomas J. Manton (NY-7-D) 202-225-3965 202-225-1909 Jason Steinbaum Eliot L. Engel (NY-17-D) 202-225-2464 202-225-5513 Eric Burns Bill Paxon (NY-27-R) 202-225-5265 202-225-5910 Richard M. Burr (NC-5-R) 202-225-2071 202-225-2995 Bob Foster Michael G. Oxley (OH-4-R) 202-225-2676 Jim Steen[PARA]Gerald Couri Paul E. Gillmor (OH-5-R) 202-225-6405 202-225-1985 Ted Strickland (OH-6-D) 202-225-5705 202-225-5907 Derrick Owens Thomas C. Sawyer (OH-14-D) 202-225-5231 202-225-5278 Bob Bolster Steve Largent (OK-1-R) 202-225-2211 202-225-9187 Thomas Allen Coburn (OK-2-R) 202-225-2701 202-225-3038 Peter Madaus Ron Klink (PA-4-D) 202-225-2565 202-226-2274 Judy Borger James C. Greenwood (PA-8-R) 202-225-4276 202-225-9511 Bart Gordon (TN-6-D) 202-225-4231 202-225-6887 Beth Hall Joe Barton (TX-6-R) 202-225-2002 202-225-3052 Walter Gonzalez Gene Green (TX-29-D) 202-225-1688 202-225-9903 Thomas J. Bliley, Jr. (VA-7-R) 202-225-2815 202-225-0011 Peter Schalestock Rick White (WA-1-R) 202-225-6311 202-225-3524 Barbara Cubin (WY-1-R) 202-225-2311 202-225-3057 ---------------------- Robert Kolker English Department University of Maryland College Park, MD 20742 [log in to unmask] http://www.otal.umd.edu/~rkolker 301.405.6250 ---- Online resources for film/TV studies may be found at ScreenSite http://www.tcf.ua.edu/screensite