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WASHINGTON -- The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) applauded recently introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would allow greater public access to copyrighted works whose owners cannot be located.

The legislation, HR 5889 and S 2913, the Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Act of 2008, introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Representatives Howard Berman (D-Cal.), Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Howard Coble (R-Cal.), amends current copyright law to provide for use of a copyrighted work when the owner cannot be found.

“The copyright laws should strive to connect owners and users, and allow for common sense solutions when that is not possible,” said Mitch Bainwol, Chairman & CEO, RIAA. “The inability to find owners of copyrighted works after a good-faith, exhaustive effort has been made can essentially render them unavailable and sometimes discourages the creation of new works that could benefit the public.”

“We applaud Senators Leahy and Hatch and Representatives Berman, Smith, Conyers and Coble for taking this important step to improve upon our copyright system in a way that meaningfully considers the needs of both users and rights holders and we look forward to working with them on the practical application of this new process as this bill progresses.”