Piracy and Counterfeiting Amendments Act of 1980
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
Piracy and Counterfeiting Amendments Act of 1980 - Amends the Federal criminal code to revise and increase the penalties for the offense of trafficking in counterfeit labels. Includes within such offense trafficking in copies of motion pictures and audiovisual works. Eliminates the current scienter requirement of "fraudulent intent." Increases the maximum penalty from one year imprisonment and/or a $10,000 fine to five years' imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine. Separates from the elements of such offense its jurisdictional bases, which are defined to include: (1) special jurisdiction of the United States (territorial, aircraft, or maritime); (2) use of a facility of interstate or foreign commerce; or (3) counterfeiting copyrighted material. Establishes new criminal penalties for the criminal infringement of a copyright involving the reproduction or distribution of phonorecords, motion pictures, or audiovisual works. Correlates the level of such penalties to the number of items reproduced or distributed during any 180-day period.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on October 2, 1980. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on October 2, 1980: Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
ROBERT DRINAN (D-MA) introduced it on October 2, 1980. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on October 2, 1980, 16779 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16779 days ago, on October 2, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers