Library of Congress 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 supplementary registration.

On August 10, 2016, the Copyright Royalty Judges (Judges) published in the Federal Register for comment proposed amendments to regulations governing reporting requirements for noncommercial webcasters, including noncommercial educational webcasters, that pay no more than the minimum fee for their use of sound recordings under the applicable statutory licenses. The Judges received three comments. The Judges hereby publish the final rule.

The U.S. Copyright Office is proposing to update its regulations governing group registration options for photographers to encourage broader participation in the registration system, increase the efficiency of the registration process, and create a more robust record of the claim. First, the Office has created new online registration applications specifically designed for group registrations of published photographs and group registrations of unpublished photographs. The proposed rule would require applicants to use these online applications, in lieu of any existing paper application. Applicants will be allowed to include up to 750 photographs with each application. Second, the proposal would eliminate less-efficient forms of registering photographs that have been adopted over the years namely, the pilot program permitting group registration of published photographs using the electronic application designed for registering a single work, and the option of registering a number of unpublished photographs as an ``unpublished collection.'' The pilot program for photographic databases will remain in effect. Third, the proposed rule will update the deposit requirement for group registrations of photographs and photographic databases by requiring applicants to submit their works in digital form.

The U.S. Copyright Office is proposing to amend the regulation governing the group registration option for contributions to periodicals to reflect certain upgrades that will soon be made to the electronic registration system. The proposed rule will require groups of contributions to be filed through the Office's electronic registration system. In addition, it will modify the deposit requirement for this option by requiring applicants to submit their contributions in a digital format and to upload those files through the electronic system. The proposed rule will increase the efficiency of the registration process for both the Office and copyright owners alike.

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce a cost of living adjustment (COLA) of 2% in the royalty rates that colleges, universities, and other educational institutions not affiliated with National Public Radio pay for the use of published nondramatic musical compositions in the SESAC repertory for the statutory license under the Copyright Act for noncommercial broadcasting.

The Copyright Royalty Judges are amending their regulations to relocate the provisions regarding coin-operated phonorecord players from the section of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) that contains Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP) regulations to the section of the CFR that contains Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) regulations so that the Copyright Office may remove the outdated CARP regulation.

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 designated agents with the Copyright Office using the Office's or their own paper form, and the Office has made scanned copies these filings available to the public by posting them on the Office's Web site. Although the DMCA requires service providers to update their designations with the Office as information changes, an examination of the Office's current directory reveals that many have failed to do so, and that much of the information currently contained in the directory has become inaccurate and out of date. On September 28, 2011, the Office issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to update relevant regulations in anticipation of creating a new electronic system through which service providers would be able to more efficiently submit, and the public would be better able to search for, designated agent information. On May 25, 2016, with the electronic system in its final stages of development, the Office issued a notice of proposed rulemaking proposing significantly lower fees for designating agents through the forthcoming online system. As the next step in implementation, the Office today announces the adoption of a final rule to govern the designation and maintenance of DMCA agent information under the new electronic system and to establish the applicable fees.

The U.S. Copyright Office is proposing to amend its regulations governing registration, recordation, licensing, and other services that the Office provides. The amendments will improve the quality of the Office's regulations by updating cross-references to the Copyright Act and the Office's regulations, replacing outdated terminology, reflecting structural changes to the Office and its senior management, eliminating expired or obsolete provisions, and correcting nonsubstantive errors. While these amendments are intended to be technical in nature, out of an abundance of caution, the Office is publishing the proposed regulations for public comment.

The United States Copyright Office (``Office'') is proposing new rules related to personally identifiable information (``PII'') that may be found in the Office's registration records. First, the proposed rule will allow an author, claimant of record, or the authorized agent of the author or claimant of record, to request the removal of certain PII that is requested by the Office and collected on a registration application, such as home addresses or personal phone numbers, from the Office's internet-accessible public catalog, while retaining it in the Office's offline records as required by law. Second, the proposed rule will codify an existing practice regarding extraneous PII that applicants erroneously include on registration applications even though the Office has not requested it, such as driver's license numbers, social security numbers, banking information, and credit card information. Under the proposed rule, the Office would, upon request, remove such extraneous PII both from the Office's internet-accessible public catalog and its offline records.

The U.S. Copyright Office is altering the deadline for submitting requests to reconsider refusals to register a copyright claim. Previously, a reconsideration request had to be received by the Office, via mail, no later than three months after the Office issued its decision to refuse registration. This rule has led to confusion, as it can be difficult to predict when a request will physically be received by the Office, particularly given security-screening-related delays in the processing of mail. Accordingly, to provide greater certainty to applicants, the amended rule provides that reconsideration requests only need to be postmarked or dispatched no later than three months after a refusal is issued.

The Copyright Royalty Judges publish for comment proposed regulations that set rates and terms applicable during the period beginning January 1, 2018, and ending December 31, 2022, for the section 115 statutory license for making and distributing phonorecords of nondramatic musical works.

The Copyright Royalty Judges published in the Federal Register of May 19, 2016, a document amending regulations that govern reporting requirements for noncommercial educational webcasters that pay no more than the minimum fee for their use of sound recordings under the applicable statutory licenses. Inadvertently, the amendments did not remove a superseded definition and did not include a new defined term in the operative regulations. This document corrects those inadvertent omissions.

The United States Copyright Office is inviting interested parties to discuss potential revisions relating to the library and archives exceptions in the Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. 108, in furtherance of the Copyright Office's policy work in this area over the past ten years and as part of the current copyright review process in Congress. The Copyright Office has led and participated in major discussions on potential changes to section 108 since 2005, with the goal of updating the provisions to better reflect the facts, practices, and principles of the digital age and to provide greater clarity for libraries, archives, and museums. To finalize its legislative recommendation, the Copyright Office seeks further input from the public on several remaining issues, including, especially, provisions concerning copies for users, security measures, public access, and third-party outsourcing. The Copyright Office therefore invites interested parties to schedule meetings in Washington, DC to take place during late June through July 2016, using the meeting request form referenced below.

The Copyright Royalty Judges are amending a Copyright Royalty Board rule regarding reporting requirements for certain Educational Stations that pay no more than the minimum fee for their use of sound recordings under the applicable statutory licenses.

The Copyright Royalty Judges solicit comments on a motion for partial distribution in connection with 2012 and 2013 DART Musical Works Fund royalties.

The Copyright Royalty Judges solicit comments on a motion of Phase I claimants for partial distribution of 2014 satellite royalty funds.

The Copyright Royalty Judges (Judges) announce partial settlement of the proceeding to adjust the rates for the cable statutory license described in section 111 of the Copyright Act (Rate Adjustment Proceeding). The Judges also announce commencement of further proceedings resulting from action by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) effecting a change in the Sports Rule. Any party that has filed a Petition to Participate in the present proceeding may file a Notice of Intent to Participate in the Sports Rule Surcharge portion of the proceeding without payment of a further filing fee. Any other party in interest wishing to participate in the Sports Rule Surcharge portion of the proceeding must file its Petition to Participate and pay the $150 filing fee.

The United States Copyright Office has changed the location of the May 2 and 3, 2016 public roundtables on the section 512 study. The public roundtables in New York and California were originally announced in the Office's Notice of Inquiry on March 18, 2016. See 81 FR 14896. The May 2 and 3, 2016 public roundtables in New York will now be held in Room 506 of the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse, 40 Centre Street, New York, New York, 10007.

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 United States Copyright Office has undertaken a study to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the DMCA safe harbor provisions contained in 17 U.S.C. 512. On December 31, 2015, the Office issued a Notice of Inquiry (``NOI'') soliciting written comments in response to a number of topics relating to section 512. See 80 FR 81862. The due date for initial written comments in response to the NOI is April 1, 2016. See 81 FR 11294. At this time, the Office is announcing it will hold two two-day public roundtables on DMCA safe harbor issues in New York, New York and Stanford, California in May 2016.

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.

The Copyright Royalty Judges are adopting a technical amendment to a Copyright Royalty Board rule regarding participation in distribution proceedings. The technical amendment updates the threshold requirement for payment of a filing fee to conform the rule to a statutory provision.

The Copyright Royalty Judges published a document in the Federal Register of January 22, 2016, announcing receipt of five notices of intent to audit several broadcasters. The document contained incorrect dates in the summary section.

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce receipt of four notices of intent to audit the 2012, 2013, and 2014 statements of account submitted by commercial webcasters Batanga, DMX, Muzak Inc., and the 2013 and 2014 statements of account submitted by commercial webcaster Pandora Media Inc., concerning the royalty payments each made pursuant to two statutory licenses.

The Copyright Royalty Judges announce receipt of a notice of intent to audit the 2012, 2013, and 2014 statements of account of Muzak LLC concerning the royalty payments its Preexisting Subscription Service made pursuant to two statutory licenses.