Library of Congress March 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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.