Copyright Office Initiates Section 512 Study and Requests Public Comments
Issue No. 606 - December 30, 2015
The United States Copyright Office is undertaking a public study to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the DMCA safe harbor provisions contained in section 512 of title 17, United States Code. Among other issues, the Office will consider the costs and burdens of the notice-and-takedown process on large- and small-scale copyright owners, online service providers, and the general public. The Office will also review how successfully section 512 addresses online infringement and protects against improper takedown notices. To aid this effort, the Office will publish on December 31, 2015, a Federal Register notice soliciting written comments from the public. The Notice of Inquiry and more information about the study are available here.
Written comments must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 21, 2016. Specific instructions for submitting comments will be posted on the Copyright Office website on or before February 1, 2016. The Office will be announcing one or more public meetings, to take place after the initial written comments are received, by separate notice in the future.