3pm

Today has been an action packed day! Many Congressional offices are just as concerned as we are with the removal of Maria Pallante from her post as Register of Copyrights and want to make sure Intellectual Property issues continue to be championed. Sharing similar sentiments was the office of Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT). Senator Hatch has been a huge advocate for intellectual property issues, including small claims protection. 

When they heard about the removal of Maria Pallante, Hatch's office was just shocked as PPA. They stated that this abrupt removal gives Congress all the more reason to look into Small Claims and the separation of the Copyright Office from the Library of Congress. However, since the next few months will be busy with the transition of a new administration, Copyright Small Claims is going to be a slow process...but one that is needed! 

After talking with Senator Hatch's office for about 45 minutes, we hope that they will continue to champion the rights of small creators and go on to endorse small claims when the time comes. 

After meeting with Senator's Hatch's office, we had the opportunity have a joint meeting with Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Both offices understand the need for a small claims option, but know that this is going to be an uphill battle. With the many changes that are occurring (including preparing for a new administration), it is important to focus on our long term goals. During this meeting we also talked about how important it is to have a grassroots effort to make sure that the voice of the people is heard.  As PPA's CEO David Trust stated during this meeting, "It is now important, more than ever, to make sure that Congress does the right thing, and protects small businesses and creative artists." 

This was a great start to our outreach in the Senate, and we hope to continue to visit with key members of both the House and Senate. Luckily, there were not any major changes in the leadership within the Intellectual Property world since the last election, clearing the way for our efforts to ensure that small claims legislation becomes a success!

And, as always, don't forget to sign up for the Grassroots Action Team and make sure your voice is heard!

11:30

Your PPA team is back in D.C., attending meetings with key members of congress who hold small business, small claims and intellectual property issues in high regard.

Today, we're with the Senate and our first meeting was with Senator Risch's office. Senator Risch (R-ID) holds IP issues very close to his heart and wants to make sure small businesses succeed. The senator's office shared with us that many photographers are on his staff and his constituents are active creative artists who understand how important a small claims copyright process can be. Even though our meeting with Senator Risch's office was fairly quick, we are hoping that he will join us in fixing the injustice facing small business photographers and creative artists.