FAMILY MOVIE ACT OF 2004 OF CONCERTS AUS 24 24 HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON COURTS, THE INTERNET, OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON H.R. 4586 JUNE 17, 2004 Serial No. 94 Printed for the use of the Committee on the Judiciary Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/judiciary 94-286 PDF U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office COMMITTEE ON THE JUDICIARY F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., Wisconsin, Chairman HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina LAMAR SMITH, Texas ELTON GALLEGLY, California WILLIAM L. JENKINS, Tennessee MELISSA A. HART, Pennsylvania MIKE PENCE, Indiana J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia JOHN R. CARTER, Texas TOM FEENEY, Florida MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee JOHN CONYERS, JR., Michigan MELVIN L. WATT, North Carolina ZOE LOFGREN, California SHEILA JACKSON LEE, Texas MAXINE WATERS, California MARTIN T. MEEHAN, Massachusetts WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts ROBERT WEXLER, Florida TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin ANTHONY D. WEINER, New York ADAM B. SCHIFF, California LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California PHILIP G. KIKO, Chief of Staff-General Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON COURTS, THE INTERNET, AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY The Honorable Lamar Smith, a Representative in Congress From the State of Texas, and Chairman, Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intel- The Honorable Howard L. Berman, a Representative in Congress From the State of California, and Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Courts, the Mr. Jack Valenti, President and Chief Executive Officer, Motion Picture Asso- MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING RECORD Letter from the Honorable Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights, Copy- Response of The Honorable Marybeth Peters, Register of Copyrights, Copy- right Office of the United States, The Library of Congress, to post-hearing questions from Rep. Howard Berman Prepared Statement of the Honorable Howard L. Berman, a Representative in Congress From the State of California, and Ranking Member, Sub- committee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property Prepared Statement of the Honorable John Conyers, Jr., a Representative in Congress From the State of Michigan, and Ranking Member, Committee FAMILY MOVIE ACT OF 2004 THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2004 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON COURTS, THE INTERNET, The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:07 a.m., in Room 2141, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Lamar Smith (Chair of the Subcommittee) presiding. Mr. SMITH. The Subcommittee on Courts. the Internet, and Intellectual Property will come to order. I will recognize myself for an opening statement, and the recognize other Members who wish to give opening statements as well. Let me say to you all the I don't know quite how to explain why only one room in the Rayburn Building has had their air conditioning system broken, but apparently we do not have air conditioning in this room, and of course, anybody who wants to, can feel free to take off their jacket if it makes them more comfortable. Like I say, to me, I thought it was a unified air conditioning system, and why one room is lacking, I do not know. Let me recognize myself for an opening statement. Today we will hear testimony on legislation that is of vital importance to families across America. It helps ensure that mothers and fathers can provide a wholesome home environment for their children. A generation ago there was not nearly the amount of sex, violence and profanity on television and in movies that there is today. But I still remember how my own parents dealt with it. They had a small box with a switch on it, that they manually clicked to mute the television's audio if they felt it was inappropriate, or they would get up and turn the television off for a moment or two. These days I don't think anyone would even consider buying a DVD player that doesn't come with a remote control that can be used for the same purpose. Yet, there are some who would deny parents the right to protect their children from sex, violence and offensive language on television. Raising children may be the toughest job in the world. Parents need all the help they can get, and they should be able to determine what their children see on the screen. Yes, we parents might mute dialogue that others deem crucial, or we might fast forward over scenes that others consider essential, but that's irrelevant. Parents should be able to mute of skip over anything they want if they feel it's in the interest of their children. And as a practical |