S. 1932: Artists' Rights and Theft Prevention Act of 2004

108th Congress · introduced 2003-11-22 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2003-11-22 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Artists' Rights and Theft Prevention Act of 2004

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on April 29, 2004. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Artists' Rights and Theft Prevention Act of 2004 (ART Act) - (Sec. 3) Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit use of an audiovisual recording device to transmit or copy a protected audiovisual work from a performance in a motion picture exhibition facility without the authorization of the copyright owner. Authorizes a court, upon a conviction, to order the forfeiture and destruction of unauthorized copies and of equipment used in such an offense. Permits a facility owner, motion picture licensor, or employee thereof to detain any person suspected of violating such prohibition for purposes of questioning or summoning a law enforcement officer. Grants such parties immunity from liability for such detention. Requires that victims be permitted to submit for inclusion in the presentence report a victim impact statement identifying the injuries and losses suffered. (Sec. 4) Establishes criminal penalties for willful copyright infringement by the distribution of a computer program, musical work, motion picture or other audiovisual work, or sound recording being prepared for commercial distribution by making it available on a computer network accessible to members of the public, if the person knew or should have known that the work was intended for commercial distribution. (Sec. 5) Directs the Register of Copyrights to issue regulations to establish procedures for preregistration of a work that is being prepared for commercial distribution and has not been published. Requires such regulations to permit preregistration for any work that is in a class of works that the Register determines has had a history of infringement prior to authorized commercial distribution. Requires the applicant to submit, within three months after the work's first publication, an application for registration, a deposit, and the applicable fee. Directs that an application for infringement be dismissed, and prohibits any award of statutory damages or attorney fees, for a preregistered work if those items are not submitted to the Copyright Office in proper form within the earlier of: (1) three months after the work's first publication; or (2) one month after the copyright owner has learned of the infringement. (Sec. 6) Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend the Federal sentencing guidelines and policy statements applicable to persons convicted of intellectual property rights offenses, including trafficking in counterfeit labels for phonorecords and copies of motion pictures and unauthorized fixation of and trafficking in sound recordings and music videos of live musical performances. Directs the Commission to: (1) take measures to ensure that the guidelines and policy statements are sufficiently stringent to deter, and adequately reflect the nature of, intellectual property crimes; (2) determine whether to provide a sentencing enhancement for those convicted of the listed offenses if the conduct involves the display, performance, publication, reproduction, or distribution of a copyrighted work before it has been authorized; (3) determine whether the scope of "uploading" set forth in the sentencing guidelines is adequate to address the loss attributable to people who broadly distribute copyrighted works without authorization over the Internet; and (4) determine whether the sentencing guidelines and policy statements adequately reflect any harm to victims from copyright infringement if law enforcement authorities cannot determine how many times copyright material has been reproduced or distributed. (Sec. 7) Authorizes appropriations to the Department of Justice for FY 2005 through 2009 to prosecute violations of intellectual property rights.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate amended), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Artists' Rights and Theft Prevention Act of 2004

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate amended)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] · 10 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 1932, Artists' Rights and Theft Prevention Act of 2004 (2004-05-18); CBO cost estimate: S. 1932, Artists' Rights and Theft Prevention Act of 2004 (2004-05-18)

Cosponsors on this site

Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] reported raising $8.6 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (5)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Fiscal year: The 12-month period a government uses for its budget. The federal fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30 and is named for the calendar year in which it ends. Most states use July 1 to June 30.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.
Statute: A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate amended)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-108s1932.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/108/s>

Record fed-us-cong108-s1932 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong108 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong108