Washington, D.C. – Following U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and Thom Tillis (R-NC)’s reintroduction of the Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes (Pro Codes) Act, Re:Create issued the following statement in opposition:
“The public has a right to freely access and reuse the law, without copyright restrictions,” said Re:Create Executive Director Brandon Butler. “For consumer safety and the public’s right to information, it is essential that technical standards remain freely accessible in the public domain.”
“The Pro Codes Act has serious constitutional flaws and would restrict the public and first responders’ access to critical safety standards, obstruct commentary, criticism, and scholarship on the law, and hinder innovation and economic growth. Privatizing and commercializing laws would only create barriers to compliance, increasing the risk of violations and unsafe practices for Americans.”
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About Re:Create: Re:Create is a coalition comprised of a broad membership of think tanks, advocacy organizations, libraries, technology companies – large and small – that serves as the leading coalition united in the fight for a balanced copyright system that is pro-innovation, pro-creator, and pro-consumer. Not every member of the Re:Create Coalition necessarily agrees on every issue, but the views we express represent the consensus among the bulk of our membership.