Bills › 90th General Assembly

SF 2320Died when the session ended · February 14, 2024

Relating to contracts between a publisher and a library for electronic literary materials, and providing civil penalties

Sponsored by the Senate Technology Committee

Topics:Courts & civil lawTechnology & privacy

Same legislation: SF 2230

Where it is now

  1. Done: IntroducedFebruary 6, 2024
  2. Done: SubcommitteeFebruary 7, 2024
  3. Done: Senate committeeFebruary 14, 2024
  4. Stopped: Passes the SenateDied when the General Assembly ended
  5. Next: House committee
  6. Next: Passes the House
  7. Next: To the Governor
  8. Next: Signed into law

Died when the session ended The 2024 session adjourned on April 19, 2024, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?

What’s in it

AI summary This law prevents publishers from using contracts to stop Iowa libraries from doing their normal jobs, such as lending out digital books or making copies for preservation. While publishers can still limit how many people use a book at the same time, they cannot restrict how many times a library loans a title or how many copies a library buys. If a publisher breaks these rules, the attorney general can take them to court and issue fines.1

Read the official explanation

This bill relates to contracts between a publisher and a library for electronic literary materials. The bill prohibits a contract or license agreement between a publisher and a library from precluding, limiting, and restricting the library from performing customary operational or lending functions.7. “Borrower”, “electronic literary material”, “library”, “loan”, “loan period”, and “publisher” are defined in the bill. The bill authorizes a contract or license agreement between a publisher and a library to limit the number of borrowers the library may allow to have simultaneous access to material. The bill also authorizes a contract or license agreement between a publisher and a library to require the library’s reasonable use of a technological protection measure that prevents a borrower from maintaining access to material beyond the loan period specified in the license, or from providing another person with access to material. The bill authorizes the attorney general, upon reasonable belief that a publisher is in violation of the bill, to bring civil action to enjoin further violations by the publisher, enforce compliance with the bill, assess a civil penalty not to exceed $100,000 per violation of the bill, and to obtain other remedies permitted under law.

Full bill text2

1 written public comment to its subcommittee: February 12, 2024 (1) · on the Legislature’s site

Iowa Code it changes

Creates§554H.1§554H.2§554H.3§554H.4

How the Code works3

Lobbying

1 for · 2 against · 1 undecided · Who →

Family tree

Earlier and later bills are matched by wording or an identical title.

Similar bills

  • HF 466 Relating to contracts between a publisher and a library for electronic literary materials,…
    91st General Assembly · In committee
    Nearly identical

Matched by wording or an identical title.