US Copyright Office: Init019

Mr. Jesse M.
Feder
Policy Planning Advisor
Office of Policy and International Affairs
U.S. Copyright Office
Copyright GC/I&R
P.O. Box 70400
Southwest Station
Washington, DC 20024
Mr. Jeffrey E.M. Joyner

Senior Counsel
Office of Chief Counsel
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Room 4713
U.S. Department of Commerce
14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20230
Re: Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 104 of the Digital Millennium

Copyright Act (DMCA)
Dear Messrs. Feder and Joyner:
The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) respectfully submits

these comments in response to the Federal Register Notice on June 5, 2000, concerning
the study required by Section 104 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) is an association of

Internet, computer, telecommunications, software, and electronic commerce companies
ranging from small, entrepreneurial companies to some of the largest in the industry.
CCIA’s members include equipment manufacturers, software developers,
telecommunications and online service providers, resellers, systems integrators, and
third-party vendors. Its member companies employ well over a half-million employees
and generate annual revenues exceeding $300 billion.
The June 5 Notice requests, inter alia, comments on the effects of the development of
electronic commerce and the operation of Section 117 of the Copyright Act, and the
relationship between existing and emerging technology and the operation of Section 117.
Our view is that the Section 117’s narrow scope has impeded the growth of e-commerce.
I. Section 117 and Computer Programs.

Congress adopted Section 117 in 1980 as part of the Computer Software Protection Act.
Congress based Section 117 on language recommended by the National Commission on
New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works (CONTU) in its 1979 report. Twenty-
one years ago, long before the advent of the World Wide Web, CONTU concluded that
the Copyright Act required relatively few amendments to accommodate computer
programs properly. Specifically, CONTU recommended an exception that permitted the
making of a copy of a computer program 1) as an essential step in the utilization of the
computer program, e.g., loading the program into the computer’s hard drive; or 2) for
back-up or archival purposes.
In 1980 Congress followed CONTU’s recommendations, with one significant difference.

CONTU suggested that the exception apply to the “rightful possessor” of a copy of the
computer program. Congress, however, replaced the phrase “the rightful possessor” with
“the owner” of a copy of the computer program. At first, courts did not place great
weight on this word choice, and applied Section 117 to entities that obtained the software
pursuant to a license agreement. See, e.g., Vault Corp. v. Quaid Software Ltd., 847 F.2d
255 (5th Cir. 1988). More recently, courts withheld availability of Section 117 from
licensees. See, e.g., MAI Sys. Corp. v. Peak Computer, Inc., 991 F.2d 511 (9th Cir.
1993). Because almost all software is distributed subject to a license, be it a negotiated
agreement or a “shrink-wrap” contract, this recent line of cases in essence has repealed
Section 117.
The MAI v. Peak decision contained another critical holding: that the temporary copy of a
program in a computer’s random access memory (RAM) constituted an actionable
reproduction under the Copyright Act. This holding is on questionable footing; the
House Report accompanying the 1976 Copyright Act states that “For a work to be
‘reproduced,’ its fixation in tangible form must be ‘sufficiently permanent or stable to
permit it to be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated for a period of more
than transitory duration.’” (Emphasis supplied.) Nonetheless, MAI has been followed by
other courts.
These two holdings, taken together, leave the licensee completely at the mercy of the
licensor. Virtually every use of a computer program involves the making of RAM
copies; and Section 117 does not excuse the making of copies by licensees. Thus, the
licensee can use the software it paid for in full only in the manner specifically permitted
by the licensor. For example, the licensor can require that the software be maintained
only by the licensor’s service organization.
II. Section 117 and the Internet.
The advent of the World Wide Web only compounds the temporary copy problem. Even
if Section 117 were to apply to all rightful possessors of copies, rather than just owners of
copies, Section 117 by its terms concerns only computer programs. It does not refer to
other works, such as text, sound recordings, or films. Since the Internet operates by
packets of information moving from the RAM of one server to the RAM of the next, the
Internet involves the making of copies that the MAI decision considers to be potentially
unlawful and Section 117 clearly does not sanction. One court, for example, found
unlawful the RAM copy made by a user while browsing a website.
This basic framework of the theoretical illegality of virtually all Internet transmissions
has imposed serious barriers on the growth of the Internet. The potential exposure of
Internet service providers for activities initiated by third parties led to the lengthy and
costly negotiations that culminated in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act’s safe harbor
provisions. Service providers now often find themselves modifying the structure of their
services in order to comply with the safe harbors’ complex legal requirements rather than
deploying the most technologically efficient solutions. When the activity can not be
squeezed into the DMCA’s safe harbors, service providers and users alike must really on
uncertain legal doctrines such as fair use, copyright misuse, and implied license to avoid
legal liability.
Further, foreign jurisdictions have followed the U.S. model of the illegality of Internet
transmissions, again leading to costly lobbying with uncertain results. For example, the
draft EU Copyright Directive states that “Member States shall provide for the exclusive
right to authorise or prohibit direct or indirect, temporary or permanent reproduction by
any means and in any form….” This provision, in turn, has led to great controversy over
the scope of the exception to the temporary reproduction right.
III. Conclusion.
Temporary copying is inherent to digital technology. Unless it results in the making of a

permanent copy, or in a public performance or display, the legitimate interests of the
rightsholder have not been harmed. Moreover, even if the temporary copy does result in
the making of a permanent copy, or a public performance or display, then the copyright
analysis should focus on that permanent copy or public performance or display, and not
the temporary copy. Treating temporary copies as potentially infringing copies has
imposed needless complexity and uncertainty on the Internet. The temporary copy
problem in the U.S. would evaporate if Section 117 were amended to include the
following language from S. 1146 and H.R. 3048 introduced in the 105th Congress:
“Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 106, it is not an infringement to make a copy
of a work in a digital format if such copying --
(1) is incidental to the operation of a device in the course of the use of a work otherwise
lawful under this title; and
(2) does not conflict with the normal exploitation of the work and does not unreasonably
prejudice the legitimate interests of the author."
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this important matter. Please do not
hesitate to contact me if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
Jason M. Mahler
Vice President and General Counsel
Computer & Communications Industry Association

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Mr. Jesse M.

Mr. Jeffrey E.M. Joyner

Re: Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 104 of the Digital Millennium

Dear Messrs. Feder and Joyner:

The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) respectfully submits

The Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) is an association of

I. Section 117 and Computer Programs.

In 1980 Congress followed CONTU’s recommendations, with one significant difference.

II. Section 117 and the Internet.

Temporary copying is inherent to digital technology. Unless it results in the making of a

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