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S 4178 117th Congress Senate Commerce

Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2022

Introduced: May 10, 2022 Introduced by: Hawley, Josh Republican · Missouri See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) 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 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 10, 2022
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
May 10, 2022
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2022

This bill shortens the copyright protection term to 28 years starting from the date the work was originally secured, to be renewable for an additional 28-year term. (Under current law, for works created after 1977, the general rule is that the copyright term lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years.)

The bill shall apply to all works fixed on or after the bill's enactment, except that it shall have retroactive effect for copyrights belonging to an entity that (1) is involved in the motion picture or arts and entertainment industries, and (2) has a market capitalization of more than $150 billion.

What's happening now May 10, 2022

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 8250 Identical bill Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2022
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 4178: Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2022. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-4178/
MLA
"S. 4178: Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2022." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-4178/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 4178, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-4178/.
Markdown link
[S. 4178: Copyright Clause Restoration Act of 2022](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-S-4178/)
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