Monday, September 17 was Constitution Day – the 231st anniversary of the signing of the proposed U.S. Constitution by the delegates to the 1787 Philadelphia Convention. In “A Constitution Day Call to Strengthen Copyright Protection,” we (Randolph May and Seth Cooper) provide a timely reminder of copyright’s constitutional pedigree. The Founders were wise to establish a constitutional power to secure copyright protections.

Today, copyright-centric industries generate over $1 trillion in annual economic value.

But much of our copyright law regarding music is outdated, hampering creative artists’ ability to timely receive royalties for the use of their creative works. In many foreign countries, insufficient protections for Americans’ copyrighted music, movies, and other creative works result in steep losses from piracy. Our op-ed spotlights the need to modernize music copyright law and negotiate stronger protections for Americans’ creative works in foreign nations.

We hope you will read our op-ed. For more on the Founders and copyright, please consider picking up our book, Constitutional Foundations of Intellectual Property: A Natural Rights Perspective.