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David Newhoff

is a writer and creators’ rights activist. He writes the blog, “The Illusion of More,” and his book about American copyright, Who Invented Oscar Wilde? will be published in November 2020 by Potomac Books.

Recent Articles by David Newhoff

Wyden Attempts to Stall CASE Act: Senate Holds Are Not Supposed to Be Dead Ends

Under Rule VII of the Rules of the Senate, bills can only move forward by unanimous consent. Consequently, a single senator may place a “hold” on a bill to keep it from passing. In principle, the rule exists to ensure that any senator may suspend the legislative process in order to review and research a proposal, particularly in cases where his or her state has a keen interest. In practice, of course, senate holds are wielded like one-man filibusters that often mask ulterior motives. Holds are meant to be contemplative pause buttons, not kill switches. Since last September, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) has maintained a hold on the small-claim copyright provision known as the CASE Act. This bill would create a voluntary, small-claim tribunal conducted by a newly created Copyright Claims Board (CCB) at the U.S. Copyright Office.