Section 1201 Exemptions to Prohibition Against Circumvention of Technological Measures Protecting Copyrighted Works



The Copyright Office has concluded the fifth triennial rulemaking proceeding pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 1201. Section 1201, part of the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, provides that, upon the recommendation of the Register of Copyrights, the Librarian of Congress may designate certain classes of works as exempt from the prohibition against circumvention of technological measures that control access to copyrighted works. This page contains links to the Register's Recommendation, the Federal Register Notice announcing the exemptions, and the record of the 2012 proceeding.


The records of the previous Section 1201 rulemakings are also available. The first rulemaking concluded in 2000. The second concluded in 2003, the third in 2006, and the fourth in 2010.