I
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6769
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 18, 2022
Mr. Deutch (for himself and Mr. Issa) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
A BILL
To amend title 17, United States Code, to include requirements for works adopted by reference into law, and for other purposes.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Protecting and Enhancing Public Access to Codes Act
or the Pro Codes Act
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Works Incorporated by Reference into Law
Chapter 1 of title 17, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
Works Incorporated by Reference into Law
Work incorporated by reference into law or regulation
An original work of authorship otherwise subject to protection under this title that has been adopted or incorporated by reference, in full or in part, into any Federal, State, or municipal law or regulation, shall retain such protection only if the owner of the copyright makes the work available at no monetary cost for viewing by the public in electronic form on a publicly accessible website in a location on the website that is readily accessible to the public.
Burden of proof
In any cause of action in which a party asserts that the owner of a copyright has failed to comply with the requirements of subsection (a), the burden of proof shall be on the party making such an assertion to prove that the owner of the copyright has failed to comply.
Transparency
Nothing in this section shall be construed as inconsistent with the requirements for transparency in Federal expenditure information as set forth in the DATA Act (Public Law 113–101; 31 U.S.C. 6101).
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