Copyright Office 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The United States Copyright Office is extending the deadline for the submission of written comments in response to its December 1, 2016 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding group registration of contributions to periodicals.

The United States Copyright Office is extending the deadline for the submission of written comments in response to its December 1, 2016 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding group registration of photographs.

The U.S. Copyright Office is proposing to amend the regulation governing supplementary registration to reflect certain technical upgrades that will soon be made to the electronic registration system. In most cases applicants will be required to submit an online application in order to correct or amplify the information set forth in a basic registration. This will increase the efficiency of the supplementary registration process for both applicants and the Office alike. In addition, the Office is amending the regulation to codify and update certain practices that are set forth in the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, Third Edition and to improve the readability of the regulation.

The U.S. Copyright Office seeks further comments on the impact and effectiveness of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (``DMCA'') safe harbor provisions. This request provides an opportunity for interested parties to reply or expand upon issues raised in written comments submitted on or before April 1, 2016, and during the public roundtables held May 2-3, 2016 in New York, and May 12-13, 2016 in San Francisco. The Copyright Office also invites parties to submit empirical research studies assessing issues related to the operation of the safe harbor provisions on a quantitative or qualitative basis.

Under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (``DMCA''), the U.S. Copyright Office is required to maintain a current directory of agents that have been designated by online service providers to receive notifications of claimed infringement. Since the DMCA's enactment in 1998, online service providers have used a paper form to designate agents with the Copyright Office, and the Office has made scanned copies of those paper forms available to the public by posting them on the Office's Web site. In 2011, the Copyright Office issued a notice proposing updated regulations governing the designation of agents under the DMCA in anticipation of the creation of a new online system though which service providers could more efficiently designate agents with the Copyright Office and the public could more easily search for such agents. With the development of this electronic system approaching completion, this notice proposes an amendment of the Office's regulations to lower the fee for designating an agent under the DMCA.

The United States Copyright Office has issued Notices of Inquiry (``NOIs'') announcing separate public studies on software- enabled consumer products and section 1201 of title 17. In addition to soliciting written comments on these issues, the Office is now announcing public roundtables for these studies to provide forums for interested members of the public to address the issues set forth in the NOIs. DATES AND ADDRESSES: Public roundtables for the above-referenced Copyright Office studies will be held on the dates and at the locations provided below. The roundtables for the two studies are being held on consecutive dates in each location to accommodate parties who may have an interest in attending both. Software-Enabled Consumer Products Study: For its study on software-enabled consumer products, the Office will hold public roundtables in Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA. The roundtable in Washington will take place on May 18, 2016, at the Library of Congress's Madison Building, 101 Independence Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20540, from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m. The roundtable in San Francisco will take place on May 24, 2016, at Hastings School of Law, 200 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102, from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m. Section 1201 Study: Likewise, for its study on section 1201, the Office will hold public roundtables in Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA. The roundtable in Washington will take place on May 19 and May 20, 2016, at the Library of Congress's Madison Building, 101 Independence Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20540, from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m. on the first day, and from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 1:00 p.m. on the second day. The roundtable in San Francisco will take place on May 25 and May 26, 2016, at Hastings School of Law, 200 McAllister Street, San Francisco, CA 94102, from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 5:00 p.m. on the first day, and from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 1:00 p.m. on the second day. Additional information, including instructions for submitting requests to participate in the roundtables, is available on the Copyright Office Web site at https://copyright.gov/policy/software/ (software-enabled consumer products) and https://copyright.gov/policy/ 1201/ (section 1201). Requests to participate in the roundtables must be received by the Copyright Office by April 18, 2016. If you are unable to access a computer or the internet, please contact the Office using the contact information below for special instructions.

The U.S. Copyright Office has prepared a Provisional Information Technology Modernization Plan (``IT Plan'') at the direction of Congress that details necessary IT upgrades to transform the Office to better meet the needs of the current and future copyright system. As further directed by Congress, the Register is seeking public comments to help inform the Office on the funding strategy and implementation timeline for the IT Plan.