[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 23344]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1500
                     PROTECT OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE

  (Mr. CAO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CAO. Mr. Speaker, for many immigrant families like mine, the 
struggle to preserve our culture and heritage and to contribute to the 
rich cultural fabric of our Nation assumes center stage. We make 
efforts to ensure, for example, that our children speak their native 
language and are familiar with their customs and traditions.
  One of the tools most often used by immigrant communities is 
multimedia through which cultural traditions are exhibited and 
transmitted. In the Vietnamese American community, for example, music 
and videos produced and distributed throughout the United States have 
cultivated and instilled in the minds of our children the love and 
respect for the heritage of their parents and grandparents.
  Unfortunately, organizations that produce these cultural expressions 
are being forced to close their doors due to significant financial 
losses from copyright infringement both here and abroad. Often, these 
organizations have lesser means and cannot survive this theft.
  Today, I call upon my colleagues in Congress to join me in tough 
oversight of the Federal agencies responsible for prosecuting copyright 
infringement because enforcing these laws is critical for the survival 
of our cultural diversity.

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