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HR 3221 100th Congress House

Visual Artists Rights Act of 1987

Official title: A bill to amend the copyright law to secure the rights of authors of pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works to prevent the distortion, mutilation, or other al… Show full official titleShow less

Official title: A bill to amend the copyright law to secure the rights of authors of pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works to prevent the distortion, mutilation, or other alteration of such works, to provide for resale royalties, and for other purposes.

Introduced: May 17, 1988 Introduced by: Markey, Edward J. Democratic · Massachusetts See on congress.gov
Commerce ArtArts, Culture, ReligionAuthors and authorshipCopyright
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Copyright royaltiesPatents, Trademarks, and CopyrightsSculpture
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This bill died when the 100th Congress ended
It never became law before the 100th Congress (1987–1988) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 6 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Oct 4, 1988
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended).
Oct 4, 1988
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Jun 9, 1988
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Aug 18, 1987
Referred to Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties, and the Administration of Justice.
Aug 7, 1987
Referred to House Committee on The Judiciary.
Aug 7, 1987
Introduced in House
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 Latest action October 4, 1988

Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended).

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Visual Artists Rights Act of 1987 - Amends the copyright law to give the author of a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work (or the author's estate) the right to claim authorship of such work when publicly displayed, independent of his or her copyright, and to disclaim such authorship of such work because of any distortions.

Grants the author of a work the exclusive right to assert infringement of copyright when such work is significantly distorted, mutilated, or altered by an intentional act or gross negligence.

Entitles the author of a work to a royalty whenever such work is resold. Limits the entitlement to such resale royalty according to the amounts and percentage of resale price paid.

Requires artists seeking resale royalties to register with the Copyright Office. Requires that all sales or transfers of works by registered artists be registered with the Office.

Waives artists' rights when a work cannot be removed from a building without distortion, mutilation, or alteration.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • S 1619 Identical bill Visual Artists Rights Act of 1988
 Committees of jurisdiction 2
 Cosponsors 2
All 2 Democratic 1
LIPINSKI, WILLIAM
· May 17, 1988
 D
Pelosi, Nancy
California · May 17, 1988
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 3221: Visual Artists Rights Act of 1987. 100th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/100-HR-3221/
MLA
"H.R. 3221: Visual Artists Rights Act of 1987." 100th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/100-HR-3221/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 3221, 100th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/100-HR-3221/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 3221: Visual Artists Rights Act of 1987](https://openamerica.io/bill/100-HR-3221/)
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