Artistic Recognition for Talented Students Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 169, the Artistic Recognition for Talented Students Act.

The Constitution authorizes Congress ``to promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries.''

Our copyright system is designed to help fulfill that mandate by promoting the work of authors, musicians, artists, and other creators.

Creative industries contribute hundreds of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy every year. This bill makes it easier for some of our brightest young creators to obtain copyrights on their award-winning work. This is essentially the same as the bill that passed the House under suspension of the rules last year.

Promoting and encouraging the next generation of American creators ensures that our creative economy will remain strong for decades to come.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, again, S. 169 is a short but important bill that promotes education and awareness of intellectual property to the next generation of creators. What an outstanding way to build the farm team, to create a buy-in by the young geniuses of our time, both in terms of the apps and arts and many other aspects.

Again, we recognize the constitutional connection to the idea of property, copyright, intellectual property, and it is important for young people to learn early on and to be protective of the genius of America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, S. 169, the ``Artistic Recognition for Talented Students Act'' or the ``ARTS Act,'' would help introduce promising young students who have won either the Congressional Art Competition or the Congressional App Challenge to the intellectual property system by waiving the fee for those students to apply for a copyright registration for their winning work.

I applaud my colleague, Mr. Jeffries, for introducing the House version of this bipartisan, bicameral legislation with Ms. Mace, along with several of my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee, including Intellectual Property Subcommittee Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member Issa, Mr. Cicilline, and Ms. Spartz.

This bill was passed under suspension last year. We are pleased today to take up passage of the Senate version of the bill, championed by Senators Leahy and Tillis, so that the bill will pass both chambers and become law.

We in this Chamber know just how important intellectual property rights are to our country and our economy. Yet studies show that awareness of intellectual property is lacking among the country's students, even if they pursue fields that are IP-intensive. The ARTS Act helps close this awareness gap early on and allows these students to participate in the intellectual property system without a financial burden.

It builds on Congress's work to encourage the creativity of our nation's youth with the establishment of the Congressional Art Competition and the Congressional App Challenge more.

Year after year, in both of these competitions, the talent our students display is remarkable. Through both, we continue to see our youth encouraged to develop their artistic and technical talents, as Congress intended.

The ARTS Act makes these competitions even more impactful. Under the bill, students may apply to register a copyright for their winning artwork or winning app for free. This introduces these students to the intellectual property system and the benefits of copyright protection.

Under current law, the Register of Copyrights cannot waive these fees on her own. The ARTS Act amends the Copyright Act to allow such a fee waiver for these specific circumstances.

Once again, I applaud the sponsors of the bill for bringing this important legislation forward, which will aid the next generation of creators and innovators.

I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Mr. Speaker, S. 169 is a short but important bill that will promote education and awareness of intellectual property to the next generation of creators. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

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