U.S. Copyright Office Issues a Report on the Copyright Claims Board as Directed by the CASE Act

NewsNet 1082
February 13, 2026

The U.S. Copyright Office has published a report on the Copyright Claims Board (CCB) three years after its first determination, as directed by the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act of 2020.

Since its doors opened on June 16, 2022, claimants from all over the United States and around the world have filed over 1,700 claims in the CCB. The CCB has achieved considerable success in resolving disputes, facilitating settlements, and aiding members of the public. It has enhanced the value of copyrights and confidence in the U.S. copyright system by providing a forum for those who otherwise could not practically enforce their rights in federal court.

Drawing on the experience of the Copyright Office and the CCB in administering this new and unprecedented tribunal, as well as the public comments submitted in response to the Office’s March 2025 notice of inquiry, the report recommends several modifications to the CASE Act. These modifications relate primarily to shortening and simplifying the process, including compliance review and service of process. The Office will continue to work with the CCB to explore other ways to improve its operations, such as through changes to its regulations, internal policies and procedures, and materials and resources offered to the public.

For more information and to read the full report, please visit the CASE Act Study webpage.

Group Registration for Two-Dimensional Artwork Final Rule

NewsNet 1078 
December 19, 2025

The U.S. Copyright Office has created a new group registration option known as Group Registration for Two-Dimensional Artwork, or GR2D, to allow artists to register a group of published two-dimensional artworks by submitting a deposit comprising one complete digital copy of each work within the group. The final rule expands the registration options currently available to artists and permits the registration of multiple works with a single application and one filing fee.

The final rule also announces a new online registration application for this group option. The proposed rule would have allowed applicants to register up to ten works published within a thirty-day period. Based on commenters’ input and to facilitate broader participation in the registration system, the final rule permits applicants to register up to twenty works, where all works within the group were first published within the same calendar year.

The final rule takes effect on February 17, 2026, to coincide with the expected completion of related system development and educational resources. The Office will issue an additional public announcement when this option is available to applicants. For more information, please visit the Copyright Office website. 

U.S. Copyright Office Fully Operational Following Government Reopening

NewsNet 1077

November 14, 2025

The U.S. Copyright Office is fully operational following the reopening of the federal government. The Office has resumed all services and continues to administer U.S. copyright law, including registering copyright claims, recording information about copyright ownership, providing information to the public, and assisting Congress and other parts of the government.

During the lapse in appropriations, most Office functions were paused. The Office has now resumed processing copyright registrations, recordation applications, and other requests. We are working diligently to handle pending submissions as promptly as possible. Consistent with our normal practices, registration claims and recordation submissions generally will be handled in the order in which they were received, including those submitted since October 1.

Any delay that occurred in processing will not affect the effective date of registration. This is the date the Office receives in acceptable form all required registration elements: an application, a deposit, and a nonrefundable filing fee. If additional information is needed to process a registration application, the Office will correspond with applicants.

The Copyright Claims Board (CCB), the Office’s voluntary small-claims tribunal, has resumed processing claims, including those submitted during the funding lapse. The CCB will work expeditiously to review those claims and other filings and respond to emails. It will also reschedule party conferences that were cancelled.

The Office appreciates the patience and understanding of the public and users of copyright services as we process applications and other submissions. If you have questions about the status of your submission, please contact us at copyright.gov/help/ during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. eastern time. Our Copyright Office Reading Room is also open during regular business hours.

For more information about the U.S. Copyright Office, please visit us at copyright.gov.

U.S. Copyright Office Issues a Notice of Inquiry Initiating a Study of the Copyright Claims Board

NewsNet 1064
March 10, 2025

As required by the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act of 2020, the Copyright Office has issued a notice of inquiry initiating a study of the Copyright Claims Board (CCB). To inform the study, the Office seeks comments on issues pertaining to the CCB, including its use and efficacy. After completion, the study will be delivered to Congress no later than February 2026.

The notice of inquiry and instructions on how to submit comments are available on the Office’s website. Initial written comments must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern time on Friday, May 9, 2025. Written reply comments must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern time on Monday, June 23, 2025.

U.S. Copyright Office Issues a Final Rule Amending the Process and Fee to Obtain a Certified Final Determination from the Copyright Claims Board

NewsNet 1055
October 4, 2024

The Copyright Office has issued a final rule amending the process and fee to obtain a certified final determination from the Copyright Claims Board (CCB). The final rule modifies the current regulations to specify that parties will make such requests to the CCB, rather than using the generally applicable process to certify other Office records. The rule also lowers the fee for retrieval, copying, and certification of CCB final determinations to $15 each.

The final rule is effective immediately and is available online.

You may have heard about the Copyright Claims Board, or CCB for short. But what is the CCB? Who can use it? In this fifty-minute webinar, learn the basics about what anyone should know before filing or participating in a CCB proceeding. Attendees will learn about the types of claims the CCB can hear, legal resources to be aware of, and why respondents might want to consider participating in the United States’ first intellectual property small claims tribunal.

Note: This is a repeat of our January CCB webinar, back by popular demand.

Date: August 17, 2023 2:00 p.m. eastern time

Speakers:

Maya Burchette, Attorney-Advisor, Copyright Claims Board

Dan Booth, Attorney-Advisor, Copyright Claims Board

Register Here

*   *   *

About the CCB: The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act of 2020 established the Copyright Claims Board (CCB), a tribunal located in the Copyright Office and available as a voluntary alternative to federal court. The CCB is an efficient, streamlined way to resolve copyright disputes involving claims seeking damages of up to $30,000 and is designed to be less expensive than bringing a case in a federal court.

U.S. Copyright Office Issues a Final Rule Related to Copyright Claims Board Procedures, District Court Referrals, and Law Student Representation

NewsNet 1014
July 31, 2023

The Copyright Office has issued a final rule regarding Copyright Claims Board (CCB) procedures governing district court referrals, proof of service forms, default proceedings, and the appearance of law student representatives before the CCB. This rule finalizes the text of an interim final rule published on December 19, 2022, without change.

The final rule allows the CCB to modify or suspend certain inapplicable or unnecessary procedural rules for claims referred by a district court. The amendments also allow the CCB to accept alternative proof of service forms, clarify the rules governing default proceedings and law student representation, and make minor technical corrections.

The final rule is available here.

U.S. Copyright Office Issues a Final Rule Regarding Agreement-Based Counterclaims Before the Copyright Claims Board

NewsNet 1013
July 27, 2023

The Copyright Office issued a final rule regarding the Copyright Claims Board’s procedures governing “agreement-based counterclaims.” Agreement-based counterclaims are counterclaims based on an agreement pertaining to the same transaction or occurrence that is the subject of a claim of infringement, if the agreement could affect the relief awarded to the claimant.

The final rule contains requirements for asserting or responding to agreement-based counterclaims as well as standard interrogatories and standard requests for the production of documents.

More information is available here.

U.S. Copyright Office Celebrates First Year of the Copyright Claims Board

NewsNet 1009
June 26, 2023

This June, the United States Copyright Office celebrates the first full year of operation of the Copyright Claims Board (CCB). The CCB is a first-of-its-kind small claims forum to resolve certain copyright disputes involving claims of up to $30,000.

In December 2020, Congress directed the Copyright Office to establish the CCB through the enactment of the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act of 2020. As the first copyright small claims tribunal in the United States, the CCB is a voluntary, alternative forum to the federal courts. The CCB can hear claims for copyright infringement, declarations of noninfringement, or misrepresentations in notices or counter-notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The CCB uses streamlined, affordable procedures and is staffed by experienced copyright lawyers.

In its first year, the CCB received 485 claims, including from forty-three states and twenty-four countries. Forty-six of those claims are currently in active proceedings, and determinations are beginning to be made. To date, the CCB and the Copyright Office have participated in more than sixty public events to discuss and promote use of the CCB and have reached audiences in-person and virtually from every geographic area of the United States, including Puerto Rico, as well as from a dozen countries.

“Access to justice is an important part of a well-functioning copyright system. Before the CCB, copyright cases could only be brought to federal court, and the process, including the cost of lawyers and discovery, is quite expensive, with cases typically taking years to fully resolve. This resulted in the disenfranchisement of many people who may have valid copyright claims but limited resources. The CCB is a key forum for expanding access to the copyright system to more creators and users,” said Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights. The CCB provides a forum where users of copyright can defend themselves from claims without having to hire an attorney and to limit the potential damages for which they could be liable. Out of the claims received so far, over half of claimants self-represented.

The Copyright Office 2022–2026 strategic plan identifies Copyright for All as an overarching strategic goal: to make the copyright system as accessible to as many people as possible. Launching the CCB is a major step toward copyright for all and expanding access to justice. To learn more about the CCB’s first year of outreach and operations, read our recent blog. For more on the CCB, visit ccb.gov, and subscribe for CCB updates here.

U.S. Copyright Office Issues a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Regarding Agreement-Based Counterclaims Before the Copyright Claims Board

NewsNet 1005
May 3, 2023

The Copyright Office issued a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding Copyright Claims Board procedures governing “agreement-based” counterclaims. These counterclaims can be brought only in response to an infringement claim and must be based on an agreement (for example, a contract) covering the same circumstances as the infringement claim. Further, these counterclaims can only be brought if the agreement at issue could affect the relief awarded to the claimant for their infringement claim.

The proposed rule contains requirements for asserting or responding to agreement-based counterclaims as well as standard interrogatories and standard requests for the production of documents.

The proposed rule and instructions for submitting comments are available here. Written comments must be received no later than June 20, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. eastern time.

What You Need to Know about Small Claims and the Copyright Claims Board

You may have heard about the Copyright Claims Board, or CCB for short. But what is the CCB? Who can use it? In this fifty-minute session, learn the basics about what anyone should know before filing or participating in a CCB proceeding. Attendees will learn about the types of claims the CCB can hear, legal resources to be aware of, and why respondents might want to consider participating in the United States’ first intellectual property small claims tribunal.

Date: January 12, 2:00 p.m. eastern time

Speakers:

Maya Burchette, Attorney-Advisor, Copyright Claims Board

Dan Booth, Attorney-Advisor, Copyright Claims Board

Register Here

*   *   *

About the CCB: The Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act of 2020 established the Copyright Claims Board (CCB), a tribunal located in the Copyright Office and available as a voluntary alternative to federal court. The CCB is an efficient, streamlined way to resolve copyright disputes involving claims seeking damages of up to $30,000 and is designed to be less expensive than bringing a case in a federal court.

U.S. Copyright Office Issues an Interim Rule and Request for Comments Related to Certain Rules for Parties Appearing Before the Copyright Claims Board, Including District Court Referrals and Law Student Representation

NewsNet 991
December 19, 2022

Copyright Office Announces Claims Board Is Open for Filing

NewsNet 969
June 16, 2022

Today, June 16, 2022, the United States Copyright Office announces that the Copyright Claims Board (CCB) is officially open to hear certain copyright disputes involving claims of up to $30,000. Parties can now file a claim, opt out of a proceeding, reference CCB Handbook materials, and contact the CCB with questions on ccb.gov.

In December 2020, Congress directed the Copyright Office to establish the CCB through the enactment of the CASE Act. As the first copyright small claims tribunal in the United States, the CCB is a voluntary, alternative forum to the federal courts. Eligible claims include those for copyright infringement, declarations of noninfringement, or misrepresentations in notices or counter-notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). The CCB uses streamlined, affordable procedures and is staffed by experienced copyright lawyers.

“We are thrilled to be opening the CCB’s doors today,” said Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights. “The Copyright Office, the Library of Congress, and the CCB staff have worked hard over the past year and a half to achieve this exciting milestone. The CCB has been designed to be user-friendly and will contribute to the Office’s goal of Copyright for All, which aims to make the copyright system as understandable and accessible to as many members of the public as possible, including individuals and small businesses.”

As of today, potential claimants can register for eCCB, the CCB’s electronic case management and filing system. For more information on filing a claim, what happens after one is filed, and responding to or opting out of a claim, visit ccb.gov. Libraries and archives can continue to submit preemptive opt outs, and businesses can continue to designate representatives to receive claims on their behalf on ccb.gov.

Visit ccb.gov and subscribe to CASE Act email notifications for more information.

Copyright Claims Board to Begin Accepting Claims Later This Month

NewsNet 966
June 2, 2022

Today, the Copyright Office announces that the Copyright Claims Board (CCB) will begin accepting claims on Thursday, June 16, 2022. As the first ever copyright small claims forum, the CCB will provide an accessible and efficient option for resolving copyright disputes involving claims up to $30,000.

As of June 16, CCB participants will be able to register for eCCB, the CCB’s electronic filing and case management system, and submit or respond to a claim at the CCB. They will also have access to the CCB Handbook materials for guidance on how to navigate the CCB.

More information about the CCB can be found here.