The Graphic Artists Guild welcomes the introduction of HR 3945, the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2017 or CASE Act. The Act was introduced by Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Tom Marino (R-PA) and is co-sponsored by Doug Collins (R-GA), Lamar Smith (R-TX), Judy Chu (D-CA), and Ted Lieu (D-CA). The CASE Act seeks to establish a small copyright claims tribunal within the Copyright Office. Copyright holders could present claims with potential damages of $30,000 or less in a low-cost, simplified process.

Bringing an infringement lawsuit in federal court is prohibitively expensive for most individual creators, and many lawyers are reluctant to take on cases with potential awards less than $30,000. Additionally, infringers capitalize on the failure of most individual copyright holders to register their work, as well as their limited resources to pursue a lengthy and costly lawsuit. The procedure proposed in CASE would provide individual rights holders a  voluntary and affordable means to enforce their rights.

Working with a coalition of visual artists associations, the Guild has long advocated for a small copyright claims tribunal. The coalition, whose members include the American Photographic Artists (APA), American Society of Media Photographers (ASMP), Digital Media Licensing Association (DMLA), National Press Photographers Association (NPPA), North American Nature Photography Association (NANPA) and Professional Photographers of America (PPA), issued a press release in support of the CASE Act. The Guild is also encouraging graphic artists and other creators to contact their Representatives and ask them to co-sponsor the bill.