ATLANTA, GA (December 17, 2025) — America’s professional photographers are praising the announcement of newly proposed legislation that would repair problems lingering in America’s copyright system for decades. The legislation introduces by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Peter Welch (D-VT), known as the Visual Artists Copyright Reform Act of 2025 (VACRA), would mandate changes in the country’s one-size-fits-all registration system that has not worked for the largest classes of copyright holders since the 1990s. The legislation streamlines antiquated registration requirements that have created barriers between professional photographers and their legal right to protect their work. 

“Professional photographers are important to our world. They are the keepers of our societal memory,” says Professional Photographers of America CEO, David Trust. “The United States is the only country that requires creators to register their works before receiving full protection. It has been inexcusable that this problem has gone on for so long,” says Trust. “We cannot praise Senators Blackburn and Welch enough for stepping in to correct the injustice.” 

In the United States, creators must register their works with the U.S. Copyright Office before they can receive full protection. That process is simple enough when the registration is for a single work – a sculpture, painting, software program, musical composition, or motion picture. It becomes much more complicated for high-volume creators, particularly professional photographers. Unfortunately, most of those creators are solopreneurs, one-person shops lacking the resources and time to navigate the country’s onerous copyright registration system. As a result, many American businesses are left unprotected. Correcting the bias against high-volume creators in the U.S. Copyright system has been a PPA priority more than 25 years. 

Cindi Merifield has been PPA’s chief strategist on Capitol Hill for almost 20 years. Merifield says the significance of the introduction can’t be overstated. “It took us 15 years to pass the CASE Act (legislation creating a small claims process for photographers). But this was always a two-pronged fight,” she says. The introduction of VACRA is the second prong. That was always the goal.”

“It’s a dark secret,” says Trust. “Copyright exists to encourage creators to create for the public good. Yet, most American creators can’t participate in the system that is supposed to protect them. With the leadership of Senators Blackburn and Welch, Congress will finally get to choose the livelihood of hundreds of thousands of American entrepreneurs over ritualistic, outdated processes. This is one of the most important pieces of legislation small creators have ever seen.”

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ABOUT PPA: Professional Photographers of America is the world’s largest and oldest not-for-profit association representing professional photographers. Founded in 1868, it annually produces the photographic industry’s premiere event – Imaging USA. Its award-winning Professional Photographer magazine is the world’s longest-running monthly publication in photography. Its online content site, PhotoVision on PPA.com, is unmatched in its reach inside the worldwide photographic community. PPA continues to be the only photographic organization with a full-time online presence in Washington, D.C. representing the needs of America’s photographic artists. 

Media Contacts: 
Professional Photographers of America 
Luc Boulet, Government Affairs Manager 
[email protected] | 404-522-8600 ext. 281