S. 978: A bill to amend the criminal penalty provision for criminal infringement of a copyright, and for other purposes.

112th Congress · introduced 2011-05-12 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-922.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2011-05-12 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-922. 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

A bill to amend the criminal penalty provision for criminal infringement of a copyright, and for other purposes.

Plain summary

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Amends the federal criminal code to provide for imprisonment for up to 5 years, a fine, or both, for criminal infringement of a copyright where the offense consists of 10 or more public performances by electronic means, during any 180-day period, of one or more copyrighted works and where: (1) the total retail value of the performances, or the total economic value of such performances to the infringer or to the copyright owner, would exceed $2,500; or (2) the total fair market value of licenses to offer performances of those works would exceed $5,000. Includes, within copyright provisions protecting works from criminal infringement, the public performance of a work being prepared for commercial distribution.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to 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

A bill to amend the criminal penalty provision for criminal infringement of a copyright, and for other purposes.

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate without amendment)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] · 2 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

John Cornyn (R-TX), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] reported raising $2.5 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 (1)

Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate without amendment)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112s978.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/s>

Record fed-us-cong112-s978 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112