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WASHINGTON—U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), both members of the Judiciary Committee, applauded passage by the U.S. House on Tuesday of the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act (FECA). The legislative package includes the Artists’ Rights and Theft Prevention Act (ART Act), introduced by Sens. Cornyn and Feinstein in the 108th Congress to combat the growing threat that copyright piracy poses to consumers, the entertainment industry, and the U.S. economy. The House passed FECA by a voice vote and it now moves to the President for his signature."The ART Act is a necessary first step to combat the rampant piracy plaguing the motion picture, recording and general content industries," said Cornyn. "Now, as part of this comprehensive package, it is even more significant and I applaud the House for moving it forward. I appreciate the efforts of Sens. Hatch, Leahy and Feinstein, as well as Congressmen Lamar Smith and Sensenbrenner." Sen. Feinstein said: "Rampant piracy continues to plague the movie, music, software and publishing industries, and weakens our economy. It also hurts artists’ ability to be compensated for their creative works. Those who steal copyrighted works should be held accountable for their actions and this bill is a crucial first-step to do that. I am pleased that the House has passed this bill, which takes us forward in the fight to prevent the most egregious form of piracy – the illegal copying and unauthorized distribution of ‘pre-released’ works." the Cornyn-Feinstein ART Act provides penalties for distribution of pre-release copyrighted works and a means for copyright owners to be compensated for economic harm caused by the theft and release of their work. This bill focuses on the most egregious form of copyright piracy plaguing the entertainment industry today – the piracy of film, movies, and other copyrighted materials before copyright owners have had the opportunity to market fully their products. In addition, the use of camcorders in theaters will also be criminalized at the federal level for the first time. "This important, bipartisan legislation is aimed at cracking down on what has become a growth industry in this era of rapid technological development: the theft and distribution of copyrighted material," Cornyn said. "Texas is disproportionately affected by such thefts, and it’s important to protect the thousands of related jobs that are put at risk." the ART Act was reintroduced as part of the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act (FECA) which is comprised of four independent bills introduced in the 108 th Congress, including the ART Act (S.1932), the Family Movie Act (H.R. 4586), the National Film Preservation Act (H.R. 3569) and the Preservation of Orphan Works Act (H.R. 5136). Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) is the lead sponsor of FECA. the entertainment industry is one of the strongest sectors of the United States economy. U.S. copyright industries employ close to six percent of all U.S. workers, leading all major industry sectors in foreign sales and exports. One key component in FECA is the Family Movie Act, which allows the use of certain, specified technology to skip or mute content that may be objectionable to certain viewers when watching a movie at home, so long as no fixed copy of the edited work is made. This bill simply seeks to use a certain kind of technology to modify the viewing experience of a movie to skip over objectionable content. the Cornyn-Feinstein ART Act will enable copyright holders and law enforcement officials to combat the significant, negative economic impact caused by the piracy of pre-releases and the use of recording devices in movie theaters. Specifically, the ART Act:

• Creates a federal law protecting artists against the use of camcorders and other recording devices in movie theaters
• Strengthens NET Act provisions in light of the proliferation of peer-to-peer networks to protect against piracy of so called pre-release materials
• Facilitates prosecution of the most egregious violations of copyright – the illegal distribution of pre-release materials before the copyright holder has a chance to get the product to market
• Bolsters the ability of copyright owners to protect their copyrights by recovering damages from individuals who illegally distribute pre-release materials – action that, by definition, causes serious economic harm

Sen. Cornyn is a member of the subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights. He is the only former judge on the Judiciary Committee and served previously as Texas Attorney General, Texas Supreme Court Justice, and Bexar County District Judge. Sen. Feinstein, the first woman Senator to serve on the Judiciary Committee, is the ranking member of the subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology and Homeland Security. She served as Mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988, and was first elected to the Senate in 1992.