PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jun 7, 2001
Twenty-First Century Distance Learning Enhancement Act - Revises Federal copyright law to extend the exemption from infringement liability for instructional broadcasting to: (1) digital distance learning or distance education; and (2) nonprofit libraries (as well as governmental bodies and accredited nonprofit educational institutions, as at present). Excludes from such exemption (thus subjecting to infringement liability) any work produced or marketed primarily for performance or display as part of mediated instructional activities transmitted via digital networks, or a performance or display given by means of a copy or phonorecord that is not lawfully made and acquired, and the transmitting government body, accredited nonprofit educational institution, or nonprofit library knew or had reason to believe was not lawfully made and acquired. Allows under specified instructional conditions the performance and display of reasonable and limited portions of any copyrighted work in an amount comparable to that which is typically displayed in the course of a live classroom session, by or in the course of a transmission.Exempts from infringement liability, under specified conditions, governmental bodies, accredited nonprofit educational institutions, and nonprofit libraries by reason of the transient or temporary storage of material carried out through the automatic technical process of a digital transmission of the performance or display of that material.Extends the current ephemeral recording exemption, under specified conditions, to copies or phonorecords embodying a performance or display in digital and analog form for use in making transmissions authorized by this Act.
People & committees
Rep. Boucher, Rick [D-VA-9] · D–VA
Legislative record
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Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1076)
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Aug 19, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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