Copyright Restatement Transparency Project (CRTP) Petition Surpasses 500 Signatures
Published Date: 3/17/2026
The Copyright Restatement Transparency Project (CRTP) is pleased to announce that the petition to bring awareness to the significant inaccuracies, omissions, and mischaracterizations of copyright law in the American Law Institute’s (ALI) Copyright Restatement and to caution against its use as a reliable authority on copyright has surpassed 500 signatures.
The CRTP was formed by members of the copyright and creative communities, including individuals and organizations that participated in the Copyright Restatement for years but ultimately resigned from the project in its final stages when it became clear that the ALI would not address repeated concerns from the participants, professional organizations, prominent law professors and copyright experts, the U.S. Copyright Office, and Congress.
The overwhelming response to the petition shows that there is widespread recognition that the Restatement is flawed and would be harmful if relied upon by courts and practitioners. While the problems that plagued the Restatement project for years have been swept under the rug by the ALI, stakeholders have taken notice, and even lawmakers have now demanded answers in a letter to ALI leadership. It’s time that the ALI acknowledge the controversial nature of the Copyright Restatement that led to the mass resignations that occurred at the project’s conclusion and admit that the final product does not reflect established legal precedent.
Here’s what some of the ALI participants who resigned and others from the copyright community are saying:
Janet Fries, Of Counsel, Lutzker & Lutzker, Adviser to the Copyright Restatement project: “When I was asked to be an Advisor to the ALI Restatement of the Law Copyright project, I was honored. However, my respect for the ALI began to be undermined at the first meeting of the Advisors and Reporters when I saw that participants’ concerns about biases and mischaracterizations of law were pushed aside. Over the years, many suggested revisions and insightful comments made by Advisors were routinely ignored. The statutory language was distorted as new standards and interpretations were introduced as “black letter law.” A decade later, not wishing to be associated with the final version, I joined a group of Advisors who resigned and requested that our names be removed. This restatement is a work that cannot be relied upon as an authoritative source on copyright law.“
Ashley Irwin, President of the Society of Composers & Lyricists: “For composers and songwriters whose livelihoods depend on strong and stable copyright protections, inaccuracies and mischaracterizations of the law are not academic—they have real-world consequences. The ALI’s Restatement should not be used to cloud or alter the meaning of the federal statute Congress carefully enacted, that has been serving the needs of music creators for decades.”
Mickey H. Osterreicher, General Counsel, National Press Photographers Association, Adviser to the Copyright Restatement project: “Visual journalists rely on a stable and accurate understanding of copyright law to protect their work and sustain their livelihoods. When a restatement project minimizes statutory text, elevates marginal cases, or introduces standards not found in the Copyright Act, it creates uncertainty that can materially harm creators. As an Advisor to the American Law Institute’s Restatement of Copyright, I expressed concerns about the foundational premise of attempting to restate a comprehensive federal statute, as well as about departures from the text of Title 17 and controlling precedent. Copyright doctrine must be anchored in the statute enacted by Congress and the case law interpreting it, not in reformulations that risk reshaping settled law. The National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) applauds the growing number of creators and organizations who are urging transparency and fidelity to the statute.”
Keith Kupferschmid, President & CEO, Copyright Alliance, Liaison to the Copyright Restatement project: “The American Law Institute’s (ALI) Restatement of Copyright has generated serious concerns among creators, practitioners, policymakers, academics, and many others because of its significant inaccuracies, omissions, and mischaracterizations of copyright law. Rather than neutrally restating established precedent, the Restatement advances controversial legal interpretations, policy preferences, and minority views. In doing so, it undermines the carefully calibrated balance that Congress established in the Copyright Act between protecting creators and promoting public access to copyrighted works. The Restatement will foster confusion and weaken the incentives that copyright law is designed to provide to authors, artists, musicians, and other creators. We strongly urge that policymakers, practitioners, and judges approach the Restatement with a tremendous amount of caution and rely first on the Copyright Act’s text, binding precedent, and the constitutional purpose of copyright itself.”
