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HR 4643 107th Congress House Commerce Antitrust law Artists Arts, Culture, Religion Authors and authorship Civil actions and liability Copyright infringement Crime and Law Enforcement Damages Fines (Penalties) Intellectual property Law Legal fees Publishers and publishing

Freelance Writers and Artists Protection Act of 2002

Introduced: May 2, 2002 See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 107th Congress ended
It never became law before the 107th Congress (2001–2002) 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 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 3, 2002
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E702)
May 2, 2002
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
May 2, 2002
Introduced in House
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service
Freelance Writers and Artists Protection Act of 2002 - Applies the antitrust laws to freelance writers or artists for purposes of negotiating the terms and conditions of contracts for the sale of written or graphic material to publishers in the same manner as such laws apply to employees who are members of a bargaining unit recognized under the National Labor Relations Act for purposes of engaging in collective bargaining with an employer.

Prohibits the award of statutory damages or attorney's fees for copyright infringement involving a work that was not made for hire that was first published as a contribution to a collective work unless registration of the collective work was made within three months after its first publication or prior to the infringement.

Includes unpublished works within the scope of criminal copyright infringement provisions.

What's happening now May 3, 2002

Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E702)

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
 Cosponsors 6
All 6 Democratic 5 Independent 1
D
Baldwin, Tammy
Wisconsin · Sep 10, 2002
 I
Sanders, Bernard
Vermont · Jul 25, 2002
 D
McCollum, Betty
Minnesota · Jul 12, 2002
 D
Lynch, Stephen F.
Massachusetts · Jul 9, 2002
 D
DeGette, Diana
Colorado · Jun 17, 2002
 D
McGovern, James P.
Massachusetts · May 8, 2002
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4643: Freelance Writers and Artists Protection Act of 2002. 107th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/107-HR-4643/
MLA
"H.R. 4643: Freelance Writers and Artists Protection Act of 2002." 107th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/107-HR-4643/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4643, 107th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/107-HR-4643/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4643: Freelance Writers and Artists Protection Act of 2002](https://openamerica.io/bill/107-HR-4643/)
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