Copyright Office Announces Webinar on Scaled Agile Framework and the ECS

NewsNet 891
April 8, 2021

The Copyright Office will host its twelfth public modernization webinar on April 28, 2021, from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. eastern time.

As part of its modernization efforts, the Copyright Office is working with its collaborative partners in the Library of Congress’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) to implement a framework for applying agile methodology—which advocates early delivery, continual improvement, and flexible responses to change—at an organization-wide level to holistically manage Enterprise Copyright System (ECS) development. The Office is using the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)® methodology to prioritize and facilitate this largescale application development effort requiring the cooperation of multiple development teams. During the webinar, panelists will discuss the benefits of this framework in support of ECS development.

Participants must register for this Copyright Office webinar. The Copyright Office launched its modernization webinar series on January 31, 2019. View past webinars and presentation slides on copyright.gov. The Office will continue to hold additional webinars every other month during modernization to keep the public informed about and involved in the modernization process. Future webinar dates and topics will be announced through NewsNet.

The Creative Business: Celebrating World IP Day and Taking Your Ideas to Market

NewsNet 890
April 7, 2021

On April 26, 2021, at noon eastern time, the Copyright Office will celebrate World Intellectual Property Day with The Creative Business: Celebrating World IP Day and Taking Your Ideas to Market, which reflects the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) 2021 theme IP & SMEs: Taking your ideas to market. The Copyright Office event will feature a discussion of the importance of small and medium businesses in copyright, the economy, and our culture. Additionally, panelists will provide insights into how to navigate copyright issues that are unique to small and medium businesses.

Featured speakers include Hakim Draper, Executive, Founder, Manager, Author, Speaker Strategist, and Consultant, The Boogie Shack, Sunil Iyengar, Research & Analysis Director, National Endowment for the Arts, and Laura Zabel, Executive Director, Springboard for the Arts. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office will also provide a brief overview of their patent and trademark resources for small and medium business enterprises.

Attendance is free, but registration is required. Sign up here.

Copyright Office Extends Deadline for Initial Determination in Web V Rate Setting Proceeding

NewsNet 889
March 29, 2021

The U.S. Copyright Office has announced that, at the request of the Copyright Royalty Board, it is extending the deadline for the Board’s initial determination in the Web V webcaster rate setting proceeding by up to an additional sixty days. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorizes the Register of Copyrights to temporarily adjust statutory deadlines for copyright owners and other affected parties if she determines that a national emergency declared by the President is generally disrupting the normal operation of the copyright system. On June 30, 2020, the Board requested that the initial determination deadline in the Web V proceeding be extended in light of a delay in the hearing date resulting from the closure of Library of Congress buildings to the public. In response to that request, the Acting Register extended the deadline for issuance of an initial determination from December 16, 2020, to April 15, 2021. Subsequently, the Board requested more time due to additional unanticipated COVID-related impacts, including that the delayed hearing ultimately commenced later than expected. In response, the Register has extended the deadline to June 14, 2021. The Judges have assured the Register that the further extension will not delay other matters pending before them. For further details, please visit the Office’s Coronavirus page.

The Copyright Office Public Information Office is available for questions through our website at copyright.gov/help/ or by phone at (202) 707-3000 or 1-877-476-0778 (toll-free).

For more information on COVID-19 generally, please visit coronavirus.gov, CDC.gov/coronavirus, and USA.gov/coronavirus.

U.S. Copyright Office Issues Notification of Inquiry Regarding CASE Act Implementation Regulations

NewsNet 888
March 26, 2021

Pursuant to the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act of 2020, the U.S. Copyright Office has issued a notification of inquiry seeking public comment regarding regulations to establish the new Copyright Claims Board (CCB), an alternative forum in which parties may voluntarily seek to resolve copyright claims of low financial value. The Office’s regulations will govern the CCB’s procedures, including rules addressing service of notice and other documents, waiver of personal service, notifications that parties are opting out of participating in the forum, discovery, a mechanism for certain claims to be resolved by a single CCB Officer, review of CCB determinations by the Register of Copyrights, publication of records, certifications, and fees. The statute further vests the Office with general authority to adopt such regulations as may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate the Board.

The Office is issuing this notification of inquiry as the first step in promulgating the regulations required by the statute. The Office plans to subsequently publish multiple notices of proposed rulemaking, each focusing on one or more regulatory categories.

The notification 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 April 26, at 11:59 p.m. eastern time. Written reply comments must be received no later than May 10, at 11:59 p.m. eastern time.

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Job Postings for Copyright Claims Officers to Consider Small Copyright Claims

NewsNet 887
March 23, 2021

As part of its implementation of the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement (CASE) Act of 2020, the U.S. Copyright Office has posted job announcements for the three Copyright Claims Officers to serve on the Copyright Claims Board (Board). The Board will be an alternative forum housed within the Copyright Office that parties may use to resolve certain disputes regarding copyright claims with a relatively low economic value (small copyright claims). The three Officers will be appointed by the Librarian of Congress upon the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights. The statute requires all of the Officers to have substantial familiarity with copyright law. Additionally, one of the Officers must have alternative dispute resolution experience, and the other two must have substantial experience in the evaluation, litigation, or adjudication of copyright infringement claims. The CASE Act specifies the initial terms for the Officers, requiring that one Officer be appointed for four years, one for five years, and one for six years.

If you are interested in learning more about these openings, including how to apply, please see the USAJobs.gov postings for Copyright Claims Officer (General) and Copyright Claims Officer (Alternative Dispute Resolution). Please visit our website for more information on the Copyright Claims Board and the CASE Act.

Announcement Regarding the U.S. Copyright Office’s Public Roundtables for Its Unclaimed Royalties Study

NewsNet 886
March 18, 2021

As directed by the Music Modernization Act (MMA), the U.S. Copyright Office is undertaking a public study, in consultation with the Government Accountability Office, to recommend best practices that the Mechanical Licensing Collective (MLC) may implement to effectively identify and locate copyright owners with unclaimed royalties of musical works, encourage copyright owners to claim accrued royalties, and ultimately reduce the incidence of unclaimed royalties.

Due to the high volume of parties interested in participating, the Office has added a half-day to its public roundtables for the study, which will be held on March 25, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern time and on March 26, 2021, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. eastern time, via Zoom. Closed captioning will be available. On March 23, 2021, the Office will make general attendee Zoom links available on its website so that members of the public may observe the roundtable sessions. For those wishing to provide oral testimony in the Audience Participation portions of the event, a sign-up form for Audience Participation will be available on the Office’s website starting March 22, 2021. For additional information, please visit the Office’s website.

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Webinar on New Group Registration for Works on an Album of Music (GRAM)

NewsNet 885
March 11, 2021

The Copyright Office will host a webinar on Wednesday, March 31, at noon eastern time on the new group registration option for works published on the same album of music.

The Copyright Office is creating a new process for registering musical works that are published on the same album. In addition, the Office is creating a separate process for registering sound recordings, photographs, artwork, or liner notes that are published on the same album. Under this option, applicants may register up to twenty musical works or up to twenty sound recordings with one application and one filing fee.

To qualify, each work must be published on the same album. The works must be created by the same author, or there must be a common co-author for every work being registered. Additionally, the copyright claimant for all the works must be the same person or the same organization.

To register works under this option, applicants must submit an online application specifically designated for works published on the same album.

The webinar will offer an overview of the GRAM registration process and guidance on when and how it may be used. Following the presentation, Copyright Office staff will answer participants’ questions about the new procedure.

To participate in this webinar, please register here. For more information on the GRAM process, please visit the Copyright Office’s website.

Recordings of Standard Technical Measures Discussion Now Online

NewsNet 884
March 9, 2021

In September 2020, the U.S. Copyright Office hosted three Standard Technical Measures (STMs) Discussion sessions: Legal Foundation, Current Technologies and Their STM Potential, and Looking Forward.

As noted in the Copyright Office’s report, Section 512 of Title 17, the Office believes that the identification of STMs may improve the overall functioning of the notice-and-takedown system. The Office built upon the report’s recommendations by holding a series of online discussions to lay the groundwork for sustained engagement on STMs.

The recordings of the September 2020 sessions are now online and available to the public on the Section 512 Resource Page and on the Copyright Office YouTube channel. The discussion’s agenda and speaker biographies can be found on the event’s page.

Copyright Office Further Extends Timing Adjustments for Persons Affected by the COVID-19 Emergency

NewsNet 883
March 9, 2021

The Copyright Office is further extending temporary adjustments to certain timing provisions under the Copyright Act for persons affected by the COVID-19 national emergency. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorizes the Register of Copyrights to temporarily adjust statutory deadlines for copyright owners and other affected parties if she determines that a national emergency declared by the President is generally disrupting the normal operation of the copyright system. Under this authority, the Copyright Office previously announced adjustments relating to certain registration claims and notices of termination.

These emergency modifications previously were set to continue through March 9, 2021. In light of the ongoing national emergency, however, the Register is extending these modifications for up to an additional sixty days, through May 10, 2021.

For additional information, please visit the Office’s Coronavirus page.

The Copyright Office Public Information Office is available for questions through our website at copyright.gov/help/ or by phone at (202) 707-3000 or 1-877-476-0778 (toll-free).

For more information on COVID-19 generally, please visit coronavirus.gov, CDC.gov/coronavirus, and USA.gov/coronavirus.

U.S. Copyright Office Issues a Supplemental Interim Rule Related to the Music Modernization Act

NewsNet 882

March 5, 2021

Pursuant to title I of the Orrin G. Hatch-Bob–Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (MMA), the Copyright Office has issued a supplemental interim rule updating certain reporting requirements of digital music providers and significant nonblanket licensees. The amendment, which was proposed by the digital licensee coordinator without opposition, adjusts certain provisions concerning the reporting of information about permanent download licenses that are passed through by record labels to digital music providers, under both the statutory license and voluntary licenses.

Additional information is available here.

Copyright Office Issues Final Rule and Statement of Policy on Modernizing Recordation of Notices of Termination

NewsNet 881
February 26, 2021

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued a final rule that amends its regulations governing the recordation of notices of termination, effective March 29, 2021. The final rule adopts regulatory language set forth in the Office’s June 2020 notice of proposed rulemaking, with some modifications in response to public comments. The amendments are intended to improve efficiency in processing notices in conjunction with the development of the Office’s online electronic recordation system.

The notice announcing the final rule also addresses two subjects of inquiry upon which the Office previously requested public comment. These relate to the possible future development of a sample form, template, or similar guidance documents for termination notices, and practice updates to address filing errors made by third-party agents

For more information, visit the Office’s website.

Copyright Office Issues Final Rule to Create New Group Registration Option for Works on an Album of Music

NewsNet 880
February 23, 2021

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued a final rule establishing a new group registration option, known as “Group Registration for Works on an Album of Music” or “GRAM,” to allow applicants to register either a group of up to twenty musical works or a group of up to twenty sound recordings and associated literary, pictorial, or graphic works contained on an album of music. The rule expands the registration options currently available to register multiple musical works or sound recordings and will permit the registration of multiple works distributed together using a single electronic application, regardless of whether such distribution occurs via physical or digital media.

The final rule also announces new online registration applications for this group option. Under the original proposed rule, applicants would have been required to submit their claims using the online Standard Application given technological limitations in the current registration system. Based on commenters’ input, however, the Office has worked to introduce new applications specifically for GRAM claims within the existing system. The Office expects to provide an online tutorial and other guidance on completing and submitting the application.

The final rule takes effect on March 26, 2021, to coincide with the expected completion of system development for this new option. The Office will issue an additional public announcement when that process is complete and this option is available to applicants. For more information, please visit the Copyright Office website. Read more.

Copyright Office Issues Interim Rule to Allow Remote Examination of Applications to Register Secure Tests

NewsNet 878
February 19, 2021

The Copyright Office has published an interim rule that amends its regulations regarding the examination procedures for secure tests and secure test items. To protect confidentiality, the Office has long maintained procedures under which applications to register these materials are examined in person in Washington, D.C. In light of the COVID-19 emergency, in-person examinations have been temporarily suspended. Under today’s interim rule, Copyright Office staff may now perform such examinations remotely via secure videoconference. For more information, please visit the Office’s website.

For general information about Copyright Office operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit copyright.gov/coronavirus. The Copyright Office Public Information Office is available for questions through our website at copyright.gov/help/ or by phone at (202) 707-3000 or 1-877-476-0778 (toll free).

For more information on COVID-19 generally, please visit coronavirus.gov, CDC.gov/coronavirus, and USA.gov/coronavirus.

U.S. Copyright Office Issues an Interim Rule Related to the Music Modernization Act

NewsNet 878
February 11, 2021

Pursuant to the Musical Works Modernization Act, title I of the Orrin G. Hatch–Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (MMA), the Copyright Office has issued an interim rule related to the protection of confidential information by the mechanical licensing collective (MLC) and digital licensee coordinator (DLC).

The interim rule is being issued after soliciting multiple rounds of public comments through a notification of inquiry, a notice of proposed rulemaking, and engaging in numerous ex parte communications with commenters. As part of fulfilling its obligations under the blanket license regime, the MLC will receive competitively sensitive information from certain digital music providers and copyright owners (e.g., information regarding voluntary licenses, agreements between sound recording companies and digital music providers). The interim rule creates various restrictions on the disclosure and use of such confidential information by the MLC and DLC, as well as their employees, agents, consultants, vendors, and independent contractors, and members of their boards of directors and committees. The rule also creates categories of “MLC Internal Information” and “DLC Internal Information,” to separately address the use and disclosure of sensitive financial or business information about the MLC’s and DLC’s internal operations (as opposed to confidential information disclosed to the MLC and DLC by third parties).

The rule becomes effective March 15, 2021.

Copyright Office Invites Requests to Testify in Section 1201 Rulemaking Hearings

NewsNet 877
February 8, 2021

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued a Federal Register notice announcing that it will hold public hearings in the triennial rulemaking proceeding under section 1201 of Title 17. Section 1201 provides legal protections against the circumvention of technological measures used by copyright owners to prevent unauthorized access to or use of their works. Through the triennial rulemaking, the Librarian of Congress may, upon the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, temporarily exempt certain classes of works from the statutory prohibition against circumvention.

The Office will hold hearings on April 5–8 and April 19–22, 2021, via Zoom. Members of the public who wish to testify must submit a request form available on the Office’s website. Requests must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern time on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. Shortly thereafter, the Office will notify all participants and post the dates and times of the hearings on its website. All of the hearings will be live streamed online.

Additional background information about section 1201 is available at copyright.gov/1201/, which contains helpful resources, such as video tutorials, the Office’s recent policy study on section 1201, and links to prior rulemaking proceedings. You can sign up for email alerts on developments in the section 1201 rulemaking, including alerts regarding Federal Register notices, ex parte letters, public comments, roundtables, and other important information and dates here.

Copyright Office Invites Requests to Testify in Section 1201 Rulemaking Hearings

NewsNet 877
February 8, 2021

The U.S. Copyright Office has issued a Federal Register notice announcing that it will hold public hearings in the triennial rulemaking proceeding under section 1201 of Title 17. Section 1201 provides legal protections against the circumvention of technological measures used by copyright owners to prevent unauthorized access to or use of their works. Through the triennial rulemaking, the Librarian of Congress may, upon the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, temporarily exempt certain classes of works from the statutory prohibition against circumvention.

The Office will hold hearings on April 5–8 and April 19–22, 2021, via Zoom. Members of the public who wish to testify must submit a request form available on the Office’s website. Requests must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern time on Wednesday, February 24, 2021. Shortly thereafter, the Office will notify all participants and post the dates and times of the hearings on its website. All of the hearings will be live streamed online.

Additional background information about section 1201 is available at copyright.gov/1201/, which contains helpful resources, such as video tutorials, the Office’s recent policy study on section 1201, and links to prior rulemaking proceedings.

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Public Roundtables for Unclaimed Royalties

NewsNet 876

February 8, 2021

The U.S. Copyright Office has published a Federal Register notice announcing that it will hold public roundtables for its study on unclaimed royalties on March 25, 2021, via Zoom. The Office initiated this study as directed by the Music Modernization Act (MMA) to recommend best practices that the mechanical licensing collective (MLC) may implement to effectively identify and locate musical work copyright owners with unclaimed royalties held by the MLC, encourage musical work copyright owners to claim their accrued royalties, and ultimately reduce the incidence of unclaimed royalties. Members of the public who seek to participate in a roundtable session should complete and submit the form available on the Office’s website no later than February 26, 2021. The Office will notify participants of their selection and panel assignments shortly thereafter. For additional information, please visit the Office website.

Library of Congress Accepting Applications for Copyright Public Modernization Committee

NewsNet 875
February 5, 2021

The Library of Congress issued the following press release:

The Library of Congress announced this week that it is convening a public committee to enhance communication with external stakeholders about the technology-related aspects of the U.S. Copyright Office’s ongoing modernization initiative. Applications from qualified members of the public who would like to serve on the committee are being accepted through March 15, 2021. The announcement was published in the Federal Register.

The committee will be managed by the Library’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), with support from the U.S. Copyright Office and other Library offices.
“The Copyright Office is reimagining how we operate in the information age, leveraging technology to make it easier than ever to engage with the U.S. copyright system,” said Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and director of the U.S. Copyright Office. “In addition to our website, webinars, and other public outreach, this new committee offers an ongoing forum to share information and answer questions about technology modernization moving forward at the Copyright Office.”

“Ensuring that the American people have a nimble, state-of-the-art, and efficient copyright system at their service is a top priority for the Library. We’re partnering with the Copyright Office and leveraging user experience design to develop the new Enterprise Copyright System to meet the needs of everyone from copyright experts to those coming online one-time to register their life’s masterwork” said Bernard A. Barton, Jr., the Library’s chief information officer.

Members of the Copyright Public Modernization Committee will provide feedback to the Library on the technology-related aspects of the Copyright Office's modernization initiative, including both Copyright Office IT systems and the broader Library IT systems that interface with or support Copyright Office operations. Volunteer members will be expected to meet in-person or virtually at two open forums a year through the end of the Copyright IT modernization program, expected at the end of fiscal year 2023.

Members of the public interested in participating on the Copyright Public Modernization Committee are asked to submit a current curriculum vitae and a statement of interest addressing the questions identified in the Federal Register no later than March 15, 2021, to cpmc@loc.gov.

More information about the Copyright Office Modernization initiative can be found at copyright.gov/copyright-modernization/.  

Join the Copyright Office’s Celebration of the Copyright Legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Online, February 17, 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. eastern time 

NewsNet 874
January 25, 2021

Join the U.S. Copyright Office for a virtual event celebrating the enduring copyright legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on February 17 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. eastern time via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public, though registration is required.

Part of the Copyright Office Presents series, “The Enduring Copyright Legacy of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg" will highlight the Supreme Court Justice’s unique and lasting influence on copyright, from her notable opinions impacting copyright law and policy to the inspiration she’s given creators of copyright-protected works, including movies, books, operas, and more. 

Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office Shira Perlmutter will give opening remarks.

The event will feature a conversation between Paul Goldstein, Stella W. and Ira S. Lillick Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, and Jane Ginsburg, Morton L. Janklow Professor of Literary and Artistic Property Law at Columbia Law School, on Justice Ginsburg’s jurisprudence.

Julie Cohen and Betsy West, codirectors and coproducers of the documentary film RBG, and Derrick Wang, composer and librettist of the opera Scalia/Ginsburg, will then discuss how Justice Ginsburg inspired their own copyright-protected works.

To attend the event, please register here.

Copyright Office Updates Copyright.gov Design and Navigation

NewsNet 873
January 21, 2021

The U.S. Copyright Office has updated the design of the copyright.gov homepage, multiple secondary pages, and website navigation to enhance the ability to quickly find relevant information and tools. The update is the result of extensive user interviews, analysis of how people of varying levels of copyright knowledge access copyright.gov, and implementation of state-of-the-art user experience principles.

This is the first step in updating the copyright.gov website. While the changes currently extend to the home page, global navigation, and secondary pages, the Office plans to update the remaining content over time to be consistent with the redesigned homepage.

U.S. Copyright Office to Release Updated Version of the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition, on January 28, 2021

NewsNet 872
January 14, 2021

Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter today announced the release of an updated version of the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition. It will be posted on the Office's website on its effective date of January 28, 2021. This update will be the governing administrative manual for registrations and recordations issued by the U.S. Copyright Office on or after that date.

The Compendium is the administrative manual of the Register of Copyrights concerning the mandate and statutory duties of the Copyright Office under Title 17 of the United States Code. See 37 CFR § 201.2(b)(7).

This update was initially released in draft form on March 15, 2019. The Office received comments on the draft from eleven organizations and seven individuals. After carefully reviewing these comments, the Office revised 953 sections of the Compendium as part of this release; 277 of those sections were modified since the release of the public draft and 87 of those sections were modified in response to the public comments. For information concerning these revisions, read more.

Copyright Office Further Extends Timing Adjustments for Persons Affected by the COVID-19 Emergency

NewsNet 871
January 7, 2021

The Copyright Office is further extending temporary adjustments to certain timing provisions under the Copyright Act for persons affected by the COVID-19 national emergency. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act authorizes the Register of Copyrights to temporarily adjust statutory deadlines for copyright owners and other affected parties if she determines that a national emergency declared by the President is generally disrupting the normal operation of the copyright system. Under this authority, the Copyright Office previously has announced adjustments relating to certain registration claims, notices of termination, and section 115 notices of intention and statements of account.

These emergency modifications previously were set to continue through January 8, 2021. In light of the ongoing national emergency, however, the Register is extending the modifications pertaining to registration claims and notices of termination for up to an additional sixty days, or through March 9, 2021. The Register has determined that the adjustments pertaining to section 115 are no longer needed, and therefore they will not be extended further at this time. For additional information, please visit the Office’s Coronavirus page.

The Copyright Office Public Information Office is available for questions through our website at copyright.gov/help/ or by phone at (202) 707-3000 or 1-877-476-0778 (toll-free).

For more information on COVID-19 generally, please visit coronavirus.gov, CDC.gov/coronavirus, and USA.gov/coronavirus.

Copyright Office Issues Final Rule Regarding Transition Period Cumulative Reporting and Transfer of Royalties to the Mechanical Licensing Collective

NewsNet 870
January 7, 2021

The U.S. Copyright Office has published a has published a final rule for public inspection implementing requirements under the Music Modernization Act (MMA) for digital music providers to submit cumulative statements of account to the mechanical licensing collective (MLC) at the conclusion of the statutory transition period in order to be eligible for the statutory limitation on liability for prior unlicensed uses of musical works. This rule is designed to be consistent with the statute while furthering the congressional intent to encourage digital music providers to participate in the limitation on liability by transferring accrued royalties for past uses of works for payment to copyright owners.

The rule provides for the MLC to receive metadata, including through supplemental reporting, to enable it to match past uses so it can distribute royalties to those matched copyright owners. It also adopts a mechanism for digital music providers to rely upon royalty input estimations and make subsequent adjustments once the inputs are finalized. This includes allowing digital music providers to employ good-faith estimates in calculating total accrued royalties, subject to subsequent adjustments, to reflect the potential effect of these agreements upon the providers’ reporting obligations. It also allows relevant copyright owners to notify the MLC of a good-faith dispute over reliance on such an agreement and establishes a process for the MLC to invoice and hold the disputed royalties once the MLC is otherwise ready to distribute the funds.

For more information on this rule, please visit our website.

Copyright Office Seeks Comments for Study on Impact of Amended Satellite TV Retransmission License

NewsNet 869
January 6, 2021

The U.S. Copyright Office has published a Federal Register notice announcing a study of how a revised section 119 statutory license is affecting the provision of both local and distant broadcast network stations to subscribers defined as “unserved households.” Congress directed that the Office conduct this study after passage of the Satellite Television Community Protection and Promotion Act of 2019 (“STCPPA”), which went into effect on June 1, 2020. To assist the Office in its report to Congress, the notice requests written comments from the public, including those who participate in the section 119 satellite television ecosystem, on a number of questions related to the use and operation of the section 119 license. Additionally, the Office is issuing a questionnaire aimed at satellite television subscribers in unserved households.    

For additional information, including instructions for submitting comments, please visit the Office website. Responses to both the Federal Register notice and the subscriber questionnaire are due no later than 11:59 p.m. eastern time on March 8, 2021.

U.S. Copyright Office Issues an Interim Rule Related to the Music Modernization Act

NewsNet 868
December 31, 2020

Pursuant to the Musical Works Modernization Act, title I of the Orrin G. Hatch–Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act (MMA), the Copyright Office has issued an interim rule related to the public musical works database, as well as issues related to ensuring appropriate transparency of the mechanical licensing collective (MLC).

The interim rule is being issued after soliciting multiple rounds of public comments through two notifications of inquiry, a notice of proposed rulemaking, and engaging in numerous ex parte communications with commenters. The interim rule prescribes the categories of information to be included in the public musical works database and rules related to the usability, interoperability, and usage restrictions of the database. The interim rule also requires the MLC to disclose certain categories of information in its statutorily-required annual reports to ensure transparency of the collective itself and specifies requirements related to an abbreviated, one-time written public update in December 2021 regarding the MLC’s operations.

The rule becomes effective February 16, 2021.