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Dear Colleagues,

I am very pleased to announce that the ARLIS/NA Executive Board has
unanimously approved the Public Policy Committee's recommendation that
ARLIS/NA endorse two watershed bills regarding copyright of digital
information: S. 1146, Sen. John Ashcroft's (R-MO) Digital Copyright
Clarification and Technology Act, and H.R. 3048, the Digital Era Copyright
Enhancement Act, introduced by Reps. Rick Boucher (D-VA) and Tom
Campbell (R-CA).

By endorsing this legislation, we join the majority of our colleagues in the
Digital Future Coalition in confirming our belief that these bills represent a
positive approach to updating the Copyright Act to meet the challenges of
the digital environment while, at the same time, preserving the critical
balance between copyright owners and users in the electronic age.
Together these bills offer a significant and welcome alternative to the
current legislation supported by the Administration to implement the new
WIPO treaties -- for instance H.R. 2281, which propose a range of
problematic measures and  constraints.

Endorsement by the ARLIS/NA Executive Board serves a dual purpose in
communicating ARLIS/NA's supportive position to Congress as well as
laying the foundation for a letter-writing campaign by ARLIS/NA members
to their respective Congressional representatives.

I urge all members to take this crucial step in voicing support for these
important pieces of legislation.  For more information about the bills and
other endorsements, please consult the Public Policy Committee's Web
site at: http://libraries.mit.edu/rvc/arlisna/digital.html

Roger Lawson
President
ARLIS/NA