Former U.S. Congressman ROBERT W. KASTENMEIER (D-Wisconsin), 91, died Friday at his home in Arlington, Virginia. Kastenmeier was longtime chairman of the House Judiciary subcommittee with jurisdiction over intellectual property issues. His death was reported in the New York Times, the Washington Post and other national media.
Kastenmeier served in Congress from 1958 to 1990. He was perhaps the best known IP legislator of the 1970s and 80s. He was a principal architect of the 1976 Copyright Act, the first major overhaul of U.S. copyright law since 1909 and the foundation for today’s copyright law. He authored a bill to allow the U.S. to join the Berne Convention. He was instrumental in the passage of several patent, trademark, and counterfeiting statutes. He sponsored the House bill that established the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 1982.
Kastenmeier was known for staying firm in his convictions. Fellow congressman from Wisconsin DAVID OBEY said, “I never saw him cast a vote for political reasons.” He was also known for modesty almost unheard of on Capitol Hill. IPO member MIKE REMINGTON, who worked for Kastenmeier, told the New York Times, “He chastised his staff for drafting press releases that were too laudatory.”
He knew many IPO members. In 1990 he participated in a week-long celebration of the Bicentennial of U.S. Patent and Copyright Laws organized by IPO and its Foundation for a Creative America. At the end of 1990 when Kastenmeier was leaving Congress, IPO held a reception in his honor at Union Station. Guests included WARREN BURGER, former Chief Justice of the United States and a Republican.
