NewsDavid Nimmer Testified before the House on Copyright Reform
Irell & Manella Of Counsel David Nimmer was invited by the House Judiciary Committee to testify before the U.S. House of Representatives at a hearing on the scope of copyright protection. The hearing is one of several focused on various aspects of potential copyright reform taking place as Congress considers a comprehensive amendment to the 1976 Copyright Act. Nimmer's testimony, given as a leading copyright scholar and not on behalf of any particular client, addresses policy considerations relating to and the history of the "making available" right under copyright law. At issue is whether a violation takes place when a user uploads copyrightable material to a "share file," thereby making it available for others to download.
Nimmer was one of six witnesses at the hearing, which took place on January 14, 2014, before the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet in the Rayburn House Office Building.