Record Rental Amendment of 1983
Public Law 98-450 · S. 32 · 98th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Ronald Reagan (R) on Oct 4, 1984 · Commerce
Sponsor: Sen. Charles Mathias (R-MD)
Cosponsors (13): Sen. John Melcher, Sen. Alan Cranston,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Record Rental Amendment of 1984 - Amends the copyright law to prohibit the unauthorized rental of a phonorecord by its owner for commercial advantage. Deems such unauthorized use an infringement and subject to civil penalties.
Includes within the scope of a compulsory license to make and distribute phonorecords the right to rent them. Requires the licensee to pay a royalty for each rental. Terminates such restrictions on rental after five years.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Judiciary Committee · House · discharged from, referred toSubcommittee: Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet Subcommittee
Judiciary Committee · Senate · markup by, referred to, reported bySubcommittee: Intellectual Property Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.
- Oct 4, 1984Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 98-450.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Sep 26, 1984PresidentPresident · Presented to President.
- Sep 21, 1984Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment. By Voice Vote.
- Sep 11, 1984FloorFloor · Passed House (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Discharged from House Judiciary Committee
- Oct 6, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Jul 1, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee
- Jun 29, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
- Jun 28, 1983FloorFloor · Passed Senate with amendments by Voice Vote.
- Jun 23, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Judiciary Committee
- Jun 16, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Senate Judiciary Committee
- May 26, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Markup by Intellectual Property Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Intellectual Property Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Apr 29, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Hearings by Intellectual Property Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Feb 22, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Intellectual Property Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee
- Jan 26, 1983CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Judiciary Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.