The Pro Codes Act clarifies copyright protections for technical and safety standards that are incorporated by reference into federal, state, and local laws and regulations. The bill allows standards development organizations—private groups that create these codes—to maintain copyright protection for their work as long as they make the standards publicly available online for free within a reasonable timeframe after the standards are adopted into law. This approach aims to balance two competing interests: ensuring the public can read standards that have become legally binding while preserving the copyright revenue that funds these organizations' ongoing work. The bill affects over 23,000 sections of federal regulations and countless state and local laws that rely on incorporated standards for public health and safety. No specific funding or implementation timeline is specified in the legislation.
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