Library of Congress November 1, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

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have failed to do so, and that much of the information currently contained in the directory has become inaccurate and out of date.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.