S. 1273: CASE Act of 2019
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S. 1273: CASE Act of 2019
116th Congress · introduced 2019-05-01 · Commerce · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 206.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2019-05-01 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 206. 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.
Official title
CASE Act of 2019
Plain summary
Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2019 or the CASE Act of 2019 This bill creates the Copyright Claims Board, a body within the U.S. Copyright Office, to decide copyright disputes. Damages awarded by the board are capped at $30,000. Participation in board proceedings is voluntary with an opt-out procedure for defendants, and parties may choose instead to have a dispute heard in court. If the parties agree to have their dispute heard by the board, they shall forego the right to be heard before a court and the right to a jury trial. Board proceedings shall have no effect on class actions. The board shall be authorized to hear copyright infringement claims, actions for a declaration of noninfringement, claims that a party knowingly sent false takedown notices, and related counterclaims. The bill provides for various procedures, including with respect to requests for information from the other party and requests for the board to reconsider a decision. The board may issue monetary awards based on actual or statutory damages. The parties shall bear their own attorneys' fees and costs except where there is bad faith misconduct. A board's final determination precludes relitigating the claims in court or at the board. Parties may challenge a board decision in federal district court only if (1) the decision was a result of fraud, corruption, or other misconduct; (2) the board exceeded its authority or failed to render a final determination; or (3) in a default ruling or failure to prosecute, the default or failure was excusable.
Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
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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.
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What does this mean? (plain words)
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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. Kennedy, John [R-LA] · 21 cosponsors
Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 1273, CASE Act of 2019 (2019-09-19)
Cosponsors on this site
Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Todd Young (R-IN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA] reported raising $11.9 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 (3)
- 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.
- 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).
- 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 (Reported to Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116s1273.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/s>
Record fed-us-cong116-s1273 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116