S. 2227: Anticounterfeiting Act of 2004

108th Congress · introduced 2004-03-23 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S12028-12029)

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2004-03-23 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [D-DE] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S12028-12029) 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

Anticounterfeiting Act of 2004

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Anticounterfeiting Act of 2004 - Amends the Federal criminal code to prohibit trafficking in an "illicit authentication feature." Defines that term to mean an authentication feature that: (1) has been tampered with or altered without authorization so as to facilitate the reproduction or distribution of a phono-record, a copy of a computer program, motion picture or other audiovisual work, or documentation or packaging, in violation of the rights of the copyright owner; (2) is genuine, but has been distributed or is intended for distribution without authorization; or (3) appears to be genuine but is not. Authorizes a copyright owner who is injured by a violation of this Act or is threatened with injury to bring a civil action in an appropriate U.S. district court. Allows the court to: (1) grant temporary or permanent injunctions to prevent or restrain violations; (2) order the impounding of an article in the custody or control of the alleged violator that the court has reasonable cause to believe was involved in a violation; and (3) award to the injured party reasonable attorney fees and costs, actual damages and any additional profits of the violator, or statutory damages. Authorizes: (1) the injured party to elect to recover, instead of actual damages and profits, an award of statutory damages of between $2,500 and $25,000 for each violation; and (2) the court to increase a damage award by three times the amount that would otherwise be awarded upon finding that a person has violated this Act within three years after a final judgment was entered for a previous violation. Sets a three-year statute of limitations from discovery of the violation.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate without amendment), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Anticounterfeiting Act of 2004

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed Senate without amendment)

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The strongest published arguments

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [D-DE] · 5 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Patty Murray (D-WA)

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 (3)

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.
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 without amendment)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-108s2227.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/108/s>

Record fed-us-cong108-s2227 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong108 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong108