PUBLISHED JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

by Angela Bole, CEO, Independent Book Publishers Association —

Angela Bole

What IBPA’s recent membership in the Copyright Alliance means.

Happy New Year, IBPA members! Welcome to 2022, a year I hope brings us all at least a few steps closer to the new normal.

In this issue’s Directors Desk, I wanted to let you know about a recent partnership between IBPA and the Copyright Alliance, a Washington, D.C.-based group actively advocating for policies that promote and preserve the value of copyright and protect the rights of creators. Starting in December 2021, IBPA became an active member of the Copyright Alliance and officially began collaborating with like-minded organizations within the Copyright Alliance’s CASE Act Working Group.

As many of you will remember, following years of congressional deliberation, US Copyright Office research, stakeholder input, and advocacy by individual creators and associations like IBPA, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act) was passed by Congress on Dec. 21, 2020, in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and then signed into law by the president on Dec. 27, 2020.

The act requires that the small claims tribunal begin operating within one year of the date it was enacted, which would have been Dec. 27, 2021. However, there is also a provision allowing for a six-month extension to account for delays associated with the pandemic or other significant reasons. So, at the latest, the tribunal should begin operating by late June 2022. Until then, IBPA will help inform the tribunal’s creation through its participation in the Copyright Alliance’s CASE Act Working Group, thus giving our members—you!—a seat at the table.

In recent years, the evolution to digital media has posed increasing challenges for publishers hoping to protect their assets. IBPA’s membership in the Copyright Alliance represents the association’s belief that the work the alliance is doing is crucial to advancing initiatives that protect and expand copyright protections that independent book publishers find vital to their growth and success. We are happy to represent IBPA’s over 4,000 members to ensure the voices of independent book publishers are heard.

Questions about IBPA’s Copyright Alliance membership? Feel free to email me at angela@ibpa-online.org.