U.S. Copyright Office NewsNet, Issue 10, May 5, 1998

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U.S. Copyright Office
NewsNet

May 5, 1998
Issue 10
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For additional information, visit the Copyright Office homepage at http://www.copyright.gov.

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CONTENTS
* News*

1. Federal Register
     a. Determination of the Distribution of the 1991 Cable Royalties in the
         Music Category (63 FR 20428)

     b. Change in Procedure for Recording Multiple Title Documents
         (63 FR 23475)

2. Legislative News
     a. Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Digital Millennium Copyright Act

* Calendar*

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* NEWS *

----------------Federal Register----------------

For the complete text of Federal Register announcements, visit the Copyright Office homepage at http://www.copyright.gov.

DETERMINATION OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE 1991 CABLE ROYALTIES IN THE MUSIC CATEGORY (63 FR 20428)
Upon recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, the Librarian of Congress is announcing resolution of a Phase II controversy and distribution of 1991 cable royalty funds in the music category. The Librarian is adopting the determination of the Copyright Arbitration
Royalty Panel (CARP).

http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/1998/63fr20428.html

CHANGE IN PROCEDURE FOR RECORDING CERTAIN MULTIPLE TITLE DOCUMENTS (63 FR 23475)
The Copyright Office of the Library of Congress issues this policy decision changing the recordation procedure for a narrow category of multiple title documents. The change will be incorporated in a revised Chapter 1600 of the Compendium of Copyright Office Practices, "Recordation of Transfer and Other Documents Pertaining to a Copyright," to be made available online on the Copyright Office Website on July 1, 1998.
     Currently, titles that are repeated in documents submitted for recordation are indexed as a single "title" and are counted as a single title. Similarly, titles that are repeated and followed by consecutive issues, volumes, chapters, or installments are counted and indexed as a single title, even when different registration numbers or dates are listed. For index purposes, the title is followed by a notation such as "vol. 1, no. 1-12."
     Under the changed practice, titles that are repeated in documents will continue to be counted as a single title, except where the document lists different issues, volumes, chapters, or installments following the title. Each such entry will be regarded as a separate title, and will be indexed separately and counted separately for purposes of computing the recordation fee.
     The Office believes that this change will facilitate the search for individual issues or volumes in the Copyright Office records and that the new method of assessing the fee will more accurately reflect the additional work involved in separately indexing each entry.
POLICY DECISION:

     The Copyright Office's recordation procedure set out in 1615.07 of Chapter 1600 of the Compendium is amended to read as follows:
          Single and multiple titles distinguished. A single title that is repeated is counted as a single "title" for the purpose of computing the fee. However, when multiple issues or numbers of a serial, or different chapters or installments are contained in a document, each will be indexed, and therefore each is considered to be an individual title for which a separate fee is charged.

http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/1998/63fr23475.html

---------------Legislative News--------------

SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE APPROVES DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT
The "Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998," introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was reported out by the Senate Judiciary Committee on April 30. The as-yet unnumbered Senate bill is similar to H.R. 2281, reported out by the House Judiciary Committee in early April (See Newsnet issue 8). Title I incorporates S. 1121, the administration-drafted bill to implement the WIPO Copyright Treaty and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty, with a number of amendments. Title II reflects an agreement reached by copyright owners and Internet service providers with respect to the scope of liability for online copyright infringements. Title III provides a clarification in the Copyright Act to ensure that the owner of a computer may authorize someone to maintain or repair his or her computer without running the risk of liability in infringement based on the copying of the operating system software when the machine is turned on.

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* CALENDAR *

April 24, 1998: Effective date of distribution of 1991 cable royalty funds in the music category.

May 11, 1998: Written comments due in Copyright Office on proposed new fees for special services.

July 1, 1998: Effective date of policy decision changing the recordation procedure for a narrow category of multiple title documents.

July 1, 1998: Revised Chapter 1600 of the Compendium of Copyright Office Practices appears on office Website.

July 28, 1998: Arbitrators in proceeding for adjustment of rates for noncommercial educational broadcasting compulsory license will file written report with Librarian of Congress.

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