ASME Applauds Congressional Defeat of Pro Codes Act

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) issued a statement on July 23 applauding the U.S. House of Representatives for voting down H.R. 163, The Pro Codes Act, “which would fundamentally alter copyright law and erode the standards industry that has kept Americans safe for over 100 years.” ASME observed the legislation was opposed by nearly every American standards development organization (SDO). Thanking the bipartisan group in the U.S. House of Representatives for answering the call of ASME and other SDOs, ASME Executive Director/CEO Tom Costabile said, “This legislation’s unintended consequences have vast national safety and economic implications that deserve a full public debate.” According to the Copyright Alliance organization, the law would not have changed codes and standards being protected by copyright. It would, rather, “guarantee that the public has access to any code or standard incorporated by reference into law that is created by an SDO as a condition of such continued protection.”