Bill Overview
Title: Pro Codes Act
Description: This bill modifies copyright protections for works that have been adopted by reference into law. Specifically, if a work that is otherwise subject to copyright protection has been adopted or incorporated by reference, in full or in part, into any law or regulation, the original work shall be protected under copyright only if the copyright owner makes the work available for free on a publicly accessible website.
Sponsors: Rep. Deutch, Theodore E. [D-FL-22]
Target Audience
Population: People needing access to legally-referenced copyrighted works
Estimated Size: 3000000
- The bill affects people interested in accessing laws and regulations that incorporate copyrighted works.
- Legal professionals, including lawyers and judges, will need access to these incorporated works for accurate legal understanding and interpretation.
- Individuals and businesses that must comply with regulations will be impacted, as they require access to the detailed requirements found in these codes.
- Scholars and researchers studying the legal frameworks involving these codes will benefit from increased access.
- Educational institutions teaching law, regulation, or any field that involves these incorporated works will also be impacted.
Reasoning
- The Pro Codes Act impacts individuals who need access to laws and regulations that incorporate copyrighted works. Legal professionals, businesses that must comply with these regulations, and educators and students in relevant fields are most directly affected.
- The policy's budget restricts substantial interventions to core groups that would benefit most from free access to these works.
- Legal professionals are essential intermediaries in the legal system and often incur costs accessing these materials. By removing these costs, the policy could lower their operating expenses markedly, while increasing the accessibility of legal knowledge to the public.
- Although the policy does not cover all potential beneficiaries due to budget constraints, the long-term impact on transparency and civic engagement may grow as more individuals begin to utilize these resources.
Simulated Interviews
Judge (New York City, NY)
Age: 59 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I believe this policy will streamline our procedures, allowing access to the codes directly referenced in our court cases.
- My job will be improved by not having to wait for or pay for certain essential works.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
Architect (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 36 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- This policy is excellent—sometimes the barriers to accessing building codes are frustrating and expensive.
- If these materials are more freely available, project costs could be reduced.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Compliance Officer (Chicago, IL)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I believe this change will significantly impact our department's efficiency in staying updated on regulations.
- We rely heavily on our ability to understand the regulations that directly affect our industry.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Oil and Gas Regulation Specialist (Houston, TX)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 15.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Adopting this act will reduce overhead in accessing critical regulatory codes.
- More crucially, it should improve public transparency regarding regulations impacting environmental safety.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 6 |
Law Student (Atlanta, GA)
Age: 29 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Accessing these works for free would support my study and research substantially.
- The cost to access some legal references limits thorough academic research.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 4 | 5 |
Small Business Owner (Denver, CO)
Age: 34 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Anything that reduces red tape and costs for accessing necessary business information is beneficial to us.
- This could result in significant savings on time and money.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
Software Developer (Boston, MA)
Age: 40 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I see the Pro Codes Act as a boost to innovation in legal tech.
- It expands our ability to create solutions that pull directly from these regulatory data sources.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
Retired Teacher (Seattle, WA)
Age: 60 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- While I don't directly deal with regulations often, it's empowering knowing there's widespread access should I need it for teaching purposes.
- This type of initiative is crucial for fostering informed citizenry.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
Research Assistant (Portland, OR)
Age: 28 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The policy would enhance resource availability for our research projects.
- It should improve the quality of academic research outputs significantly.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
Corporate Lawyer (Miami, FL)
Age: 50 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Free access to referenced codes is a long-overdue development.
- It should help lower our operational costs and speed up the procurement of necessary documents.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 8 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 8 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $15000000 (Low: $10000000, High: $25000000)
Year 2: $10000000 (Low: $8000000, High: $20000000)
Year 3: $10000000 (Low: $8000000, High: $15000000)
Year 5: $12000000 (Low: $9000000, High: $16000000)
Year 10: $10000000 (Low: $8000000, High: $14000000)
Year 100: $10000000 (Low: $7000000, High: $13000000)
Key Considerations
- The transition to free access for these codes could involve significant administrative setup and ongoing operational costs.
- Public access may challenge existing revenue models for publishers and copyright holders of such codes.
- The bill may encourage better compliance with regulations as more individuals and companies are able to access the needed codes.
- Legal disputes over copyright implications may arise as the policy is implemented.