(Radio Iowa) – A House committee has approved a bill to classify most of Iowa P-B-S archived content as public record, giving anyone access to it. Representative Megan Jones, a Republican from Sioux Rapids, is the bill’s manager. “The ultimate goal of this bill is to make sure that Iowans have access to their memories…so that grandpas can show their grandkids their state finals at wrestling,” Jones says. “This is about nostalgia and this is a beautiful way to share our past with our future.” If the bill comes law, Iowa P-B-S videos, tapes, documents and other stored material would become public record 10 years after it was created. Jean Berger is executive director of the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union. She says if Iowa P-B-S loses copyright protection for its content, the union may end its agreement for Iowa P-B-S broadcasts of girls state basketball, softball and volleyball tournaments.

“It’s important, our partnership, because Iowans know where to go to watch the state basketball tournament. They know where to go to watch for free…They know what channel to find us on,” she says. “…My concerns are that if our contests become part of the public domain that they can be used in a way that we have no control over by people we don’t wish to be associated with, that don’t match what we stand for.” Representative Jones says these and other arguments against the bill give her whiplash. “The mission is to be free and accessible,” Jones says, “but this bill makes it too free and accessible.” The dispute over Iowa P-B-S content started after former Iowa State wrestling coach Jim Gibbons sought access to Iowa P-B-S broadcasts of college wrestling for a California company’s documentary.

“I think there’s a lot of good news in this legislation,” Gibbons says. “…The net result of this is there is a sharing process. You’re sharing this content here with…parents, grandparents, to be able to share their cherished memories, or have the access to the cherished memories that they really don’t have access to right now.” The version of the bill now eligible for House debate limits the public’s use of Iowa P-B-S material to educational, historical or cultural purposes and says it cannot be used to make a profit or for political purposes. Michael Egel, artistic director of the Des Moines Metro Opera, says the bill would pose a problem for past and future Iowa P-B-S broadcasts of the Opera and other artistic productions.

“Behind each of these performances is a complex set of labor negotitions, contracts, etc. that govern the use of this content, protect the rights of its creators, performers, authors, composers, copyright holders,” he says, “people on stage and those behind the scenes.” He says the loss of copyright, trademark and intellectual property protections could also impact Iowa P-B-S broadcasts of the All-State Music Festival.