I email my Senators on the CASE Act

I’ve sent brief messages today by email to Virginia Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine about the CASE Act, S1273 (see July 18).

I generally use the email forms supplied by members of Congress or other politicians first.  In the past I have sometimes called.  But repeated calls on so many issues would not be effective and would dilute "influence", from someone who is not on one specific activist "team". 

  

“I wanted to express my concern over the quick passage of S1273, the CASE Act, from the Senate Judiciary Committee on July 18.

  

“The legislation would need to make sure that it does not invite copyright trolls (like “Righthaven” a few years back) to file frivolous lawsuits against ordinary Internet users in the “small claims court”.  The Copyright Office would need to be instructed to have anti-spam policies, and lay down some rules about how it will apply Fair Use, as with respect to newsworthy images or music passages (you can’t copyright a chord or a rhythm, for example) or even work titles (you can’t copyright a book or film title, you can trademark a series).  It would be well to compare the proposed small claims court with how the patent office is stumbling now with patent trolls (especially in software).”