Following today’s release of the U.S. Copyright Office Section 512 study, see below for a statement from ReCreate Executive Director Joshua Lamel:

“Today the U.S. Copyright Office released its long awaited Section 512 study. Unfortunately, the Copyright Office mostly ignored the issues and arguments raised by consumer groups, tech platforms, libraries and others. While we are happy the report did not call for notice and staydown or siteblocking, the changes being suggested are not the ‘fine-tuning’ the Copyright Office suggests, but rather changes that will have a negative impact on the online creative ecosystem.

“Section 512 of the DMCA is a legal cornerstone for the internet’s successful and transformative power to grow the American economy, level the playing field, boost access to information and advance global culture. We are very disappointed that the U.S. Copyright Office neglected to take this into account in the release of their new study. Despite the report’s original intent to ‘evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the DMCA safe harbor provisions,’ the Office has instead issued a report that only suggests changes that rightsholders asked for.”