ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries C & R L N e w s ■ M a y 2 0 0 0 / 4 2 1 W a s h i n g t o n H o t l i n e Lynne E. Bradley Database legislation A L A an d its allies in the d a ta ba se le g isla tiv e b a ttles h a v e c o n t i n u e d to a r g u e in f a v o r o f p a s s a g e o f H .R . 1858 a n d to fig h t H .R . 354. T h e s e t w o d a t a b a s e p r o t e c t i o n b ills , w h i c h w e r e i n t r o d u c e d in 1999 in th e H o u s e , a re th e s u b je c ts o f r e n e w e d c o n ­ s i d e r a t i o n a n d l i v e l y b e h i n d - t h e - s c e n e s d e b a t e in th e o p e n i n g m o n th s o f th e C o n ­ g r e s s 2000. H .R . 354, th e C o l l e c t i o n s o f I n f o r m a t io n A n t ip ir a c y A c t, has th e s u p ­ p o r t o f s o m e o f th e m a jo r c o m m e r c i a l d a ­ ta b a s e p u b lis h e r s a n d th e N a t io n a l A s s o ­ c ia t io n o f R e a lto rs . H .R . 354 p r o v i d e s o v e r l y b r o a d p r o t e c ­ t io n f o r a “ c o l l e c t i o n o f i n f o r m a t i o n ” that w o u l d r e d u c e th e p u b l i c ’s a c c e s s to i n f o r ­ m a tio n a n d u n r e a s o n a b ly b u r d e n s c ie n t ific re s e a r c h , s c h o la r s h ip , a n d e d u c a t io n . H .R . 1858 is m o r e n a r r o w l y f o c u s e d to p r e v e n t th e d is trib u tio n o f p ir a te d d a ta b a ses, w h ic h c o u l d t h r e a t e n a p e r s o n ’s in v e s t m e n t in d a ta b a s e c r e a t io n , b u t it d o e s n o t p r e v e n t th e r e u s e o f in fo r m a t io n f o r th e p u r p o s e o f c r e a t in g n e w i n n o v a t i v e d a ta b a s e s . A C R L m e m b e r s a r e a s k e d t o c o n t a c t th e ir r e p r e s e n t a t iv e s a n d e x p r e s s th e l i ­ b r a r y c o m m u n i t y ’s s u p p o r t f o r H .R . 1858. C o n ta c t M ir ia m N is b e t at ( 8 0 0 ) 9 41 -8 47 8 f o r m o r e in fo r m a t io n . International education funding T h e C o a lit io n f o r In t e r n a t io n a l E d u c a tio n ( o f w h i c h A L A is a m e m b e r ) has a s k e d th e H o u s e a n d S e n a te S u b c o m m it t e e s o n L a ­ b o r, H H S a n d E d u c a tio n A p p r o p r ia t io n s f o r F Y 2001 f u n d i n g f o r H E A - T i t l e V I a n d F u lb r ig h t - H a y s 1 0 2 ( b ) ( 6 ) . A C R L m e m b e r s w h o a re c o n c e r n e d a b o u t t h e s e t w o in t e r ­ n a t io n a l p r o g r a m s a re a s k e d to c o n t a c t th e A L A O f f i c e f o r G o v e r n m e n t R e la t io n s to fin d o u t m o r e a b o u t h o w to c o m m u n ic a t e e x a m p l e s o f y o u r r o le s w it h T i t l e V I/ F -H f u n d i n g o n y o u r c a m p u s e s . Copyright rulem aking continues A L A , in p a r t n e r s h ip w it h th e A s s o c ia t io n o f R e s e a r c h L ib ra rie s , th e A m e r ic a n A s s o ­ c ia t io n o f L a w L ib ra rie s , th e S p e c ia l L ib ra r­ ie s A s s o c ia t io n , a n d th e M e d ic a l L ib ra ry A s s o c ia t io n , s u b m it t e d c o m m e n t s t o th e C o p y r ig h t O f f i c e r e g a r d in g s e c t io n 1 2 0 1 (a ) o f th e D ig it a l M ille n n iu m C o p y r i g h t A c t ( D M C A ) o f 1998. B e ca u s e o f c o n c e r n s a b o u t the n e g a tiv e im p a ct o f this s e c tio n o n a n ticircu m ven tio n m easures, C o n g re ss m a n d a ted that the C o p y ­ right o ffic e con d u ct a ru lem akin g study. Based o n its fin d in g s , th e O f f i c e w ill d e t e r m in e w h e t h e r an e x e m p t io n to the a n tic irc u m v e n ­ tio n m ea su re c o n ta in e d in S ectio n 1201(a) s h o u ld b e a llo w e d . T h e ir r e c o m m e n d a tio n w ill b e fo r w a r d e d to an d c o n s id e r e d b y the Librarian o f C on gress. A L A an d its sister li­ b rary o rg a n iz a tio n s h a v e a rg u e d that an e x ­ e m p t io n s h o u ld b e a l l o w e d fo r libraries. T h e lib r a r ie s c o m m e n t s , a l o n g w it h th e c o m m e n t s a n d r e s p o n s e s o f o t h e r s t a k e ­ h o ld e r s w h o s u p p o r t o r o p p o s e an e x e m p ­ tio n , c a n b e f o u n d at th e U.S. C o p y r i g h t O f f i c e W e b site, h t t p : / / w w w .lo c .g o v / c o p y - rig h t/ 1 2 0 1 / a n tic irc .h tm l T h e C o p y r i g h t O f f i c e w i l l c o n d u c t p u b ­ lic h e a r in g s to h e a r t e s t im o n y fr o m all in ­ t e r e s t e d p a rtie s . L ib ra ria n s, c o m p u t e r s c i­ en tists, a n d p u b lic in te re s t g r o u p s , as w e l l as r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f r o m th e p u b l i s h i n g , m o t i o n p ic t u r e , r e c o r d i n g , a n d s o f t w a r e in d u s tr ie s a re e x p e c t e d to te s tify . H e a r in g s w i l l b e h e ld o n M a y 2 -4 , 2000, in W a s h in g t o n , D .C ., in R o o m L A -2 0 2 o f th e J o h n A d a m s B u ild in g o f th e L ib r a r y o f C o n g r e s s , 110 S e c o n d S treet, S.E. A s e c ­ o n d r o u n d o f h e a r in g s w i l l b e h e ld o n M a y 1 8-1 9 , 2000, at S ta n fo rd U n iv e r s ity in R o o m 290, S ta n fo r d L a w S c h o o l, C r o w n Q u a d ­ r a n g le , S ta n fo r d , C a lifo r n ia . A f t e r th e h e a r in g s , th e C o p y r i g h t O f f i c e w i l l a c c e p t a d d it io n a l c o m m e n t s f r o m all in t e r e s t e d p a r tie s b e f o r e m a k in g its r e c ­ o m m e n d a t i o n to th e L ib ra ria n o f C o n g r e s s . F o r m o r e in fo r m a t i o n , c o n t a c t C a r r ie R u ssell, o r M ir ia m N is b e t at th e A L A W a s h ­ in g t o n O f f i c e , ( 8 0 0 ) 941-8478. ■ Lynne E. Bradley is Office of Government Relations director of ALA's Washington Office; e-mail: leb@alawash.org http://www.loc.gov/copy- mailto:leb@alawash.org 4 2 2 I C& R L N e w s ■ M a y 2 0 0 0