Bob Kastenmeier and the Legislative Process: "Sui Generis" and Proud of It

Abstract

unique position to observe the Chairman up close. From this experience, I can only admire a man whose contributions to intellectual property are unprecedented and pervasive. Reflecting upon Kastenmeier's achievements, I am reminded of the celebrated English architect Christopher Wren. He rebuilt the churches and public buildings of London after the Great Fire of 1666 and now lies buried in a simple grave in St. Paul's Cathedral, his masterpiece. After Wren's death, admirers approached his son and asked what kind of monument should be built to commemorate his father's legacy. Scoffing at the notion, his son instead installed a small plaque in St. Paul's near his father's grave, with the following inscription: Si monumentum requirs, circumspice (Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you.). Today, we have only to look around us to see the monuments to Bob Kastenmeier. I mention only a few: U.S. adherence to the Berne Convention,' the Satellite Home Viewer Act of 1988,2 the Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990,3 the Semiconductor Chip Protection Act of 1984,4 the 1976 revision of the Copyright Act,5 and something Christopher Wren would appreciate, the Architectural Works Copyright Protection Act of 1990.6 Kastenmeier's legacy, however, goes beyond the statute books, and this is my principal theme: by eschewing dogma and philosophy and by virtue of his