Monday, December 13, 1999

Volume 35, Issue 49; ISSN: 0511-4187

Statement on signing the Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright Damages

Improvement Act of 1999

William J Clinton

Statement on Signing the Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright

Damages Improvement Act of 1999

Decmber 9,1999

Today I have signed into law H.R. 3456, the "Digital Theft

Deterrence and Copyright Damages Improvement Act of 1999." This

legislation will increase for the first time since January 1988 the

statutory damages that a copyright holder may recover for certain

copyright infringements. This increase in penalties would be an

effective deterrent to would-be pirates of copyrighted works. This

Act also directs the United States Sentencing Commission to issue

sentencing guidelines to ensure that sentences for criminal offenses

against intellectual property are sufficiently severe to deter such

offenses. I fully support efforts to make sentences in criminal

cases involving intellectual property offenses true deterrents

against the commission of those offenses and am pleased that H.R.

3456 will require the Sentencing Commission to address this matter

on an expedited basis.

William J. Clinton

The White House, December 9,1999.

NoTE: H.R. 3456, approved December 9, was assigned Public Law No.

106-160.