Letter writer: Re:Create coalition supports balanced copyright reform

Thanks to the Internet, there are more artists creating more work than ever. That is why lawmakers in Washington have rightly been focused on the issue of copyright modernization.

I’m a member of the Harry Potter Alliance, an organization that uses popular stories like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games to talk about real-world social injustice and inspire fans to take real-world action. We’ve sent cargo planes full of medical supplies to Haiti, donated over 200,000 books to communities in need and worked with Warner Bros. to make all Harry Potter-brand chocolates fair-trade certified. We’ve been able to do all this because the U.S. Copyright Office and fair-use laws have made it possible for fans to be creative and innovative.

Members of Congress, including our state’s own congressional delegation, are currently considering proposals to modernize the Copyright Office. As an organization that reimagines popular media as tools for social change, the future of our nation’s copyright laws and the modernization of the Copyright Office matter to us. That’s why we’ve started building a community of artists and fans at fanworksarefairuse.org and why we are members of Re:Create.

Re:Create is a new coalition of creators, entrepreneurs, innovators and consumers that supports balanced copyright reform and safeguarding freedom of expression. We recently sent a letter that urges Congress to work on long-term fixes to the Copyright Office to help it better achieve its mission, rather than making it an independent office as some have proposed.

We urge the members of the North Carolina congressional delegation to support the future of creativity, innovation and the economic benefits of the digital economy by making long-term fixes to the Copyright Office that will best support the public’s needs.

— Katie Lawrence
Asheville