On January 15, the U.S. Copyright Office held an event called Copyright and Social Justice, part of the Copyright Matters series. As the title suggests, the topic was the intersection between social justice and copyright law. The ultimate message the panel expressed was that it is critical for all members of society to have equal access to the copyright system and its accompanying benefits. That can be achieved through artist education. Copyright lawyers and policymakers need to learn and understand the perspective of creators to better shape and advocate for the copyright laws, and in turn, they will be able to better educate creators on their rights.

The four-member panel consisted of Lateef Mtima, professor at Howard University School of law and founder and director of the Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice (“IIPSJ”); Robert Brauneis, professor at George Washington School of Law; Kim Tignor executive director for IIPSJ and founder of Take Creative Control; and Hollis Wong-Wear, a Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, speaker, creative producer, and advocate for creators’ rights.

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