HOME RECORDING RIGHTS COALITION ALERT !! IMMINENT CONGRESSIONAL ACTION ON NII COPYRIGHT BILL THREATENS CONSUMER ELECTRONICS PRODUCTS The House of Representatives Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property will meet in the next few days to vote on H.R. 2441, the "NII Copyright Protection Act." If you or your business are in the congressional district of one of the Members of Congress listed below, please call the Subcommittee member who represents you NOW. Tell his office that this badly imbalanced bill shouldn't be voted on unless and until the following problem is addressed. If passed in its current form, H.R. 2441 would: o make it a crime to manufacture the next generation of VCRs, personal computers and other digital devices needed for recreational and educational use by adding a sweeping and overbroad new Section 1201 to the Copyright Act. If you need more information, check out the HRRC home page at http://www.access.digex.net/~hrrc/ or call toll free 1-800-282-8273. ACTION NEEDED NOW!!! Please immediately prepare a letter to send (use the draft letter below as a model) - keep it short. --AND CALL -- the Member of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property who represents you (see list). These contacts must be made NO LATER THAN Tuesday, June 18, and preferably sooner. In addition, please forward this alert on to your friends and colleagues. Please address all letters as indicated in the list below to Washington, DC 20515. All phone and fax (f) numbers are area code (202): The Honorable Carlos Moorhead R-CA 2346 RHOB 225-4176 f:226-1279 The Honorable James Sensenbrenner R-WI 2332 RHOB 225-5101 f:225-3190 The Honorable George Gekas R-PA 2410 RHOB 225-4315 f: 225-8440 The Honorable Howard Coble R-NC 403 CHOB 225-3065 f:225-8611 The Honorable Elton Gallegly R-CA 2441 RHOB 225-5811 f:225-1100 The Honorable Charles Canady R-FL 1222 LHOB 225-1252 f:225-2279 The Honorable Bob Goodlatte R-NC 123 CHOB 225-5431 f: 225-9681 The Honorable Martin Hoke R-OH 212 CHOB 225-5871 f:226-0994 The Honorable Sonny Bono R-CA 512 CHOB 225-5330 f:225-2961 The Honorable John Conyers, Jr. D-MI 2426 RHOB 225-5126 f:225-0072 The Honorable Patricia Schroeder D-CO 2307 RHOB 225-4431 f:225-5842 The Honorable Howard Berman D-CA 2231 RHOB 225-4695 f:225-5279 The Honorable Rick Boucher D-VA 2245 RHOB 225-3861 f:225-0442 The Honorable Jerry Nadler D-NY 109 CHOB 225-5635 f:225-6923 The Honorable Xavier Becerra D-CA 1119 LHOB 225-6235 f:225-2202 SAMPLE LETTER The Honorable Address Washington, DC 20515 Dear Rep. ____________: I have learned that Section 1201 of the NII Copyright Protection Act (H.R. 2441) could take away my right to use new digital video technology for my personal recording. It also could delay or even prevent these new products from being available to consumers. If I record television programs, I do it for my personal use and convenience. The Supreme Court's "Betamax" decision confirmed my right to do this. Section 1201 will change the current law so that I may not be able to do this in the future with new digital video products. I understand that a House subcommittee vote on this bill is planned for next week. I realize that the copyright issue is complex, but please remember to protect my rights as a consumer. I hope you will vote against H.R. 2441 as drafted. Will you please let me know your position on this issue? Sincerely, YOUR NAME Thank you.