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U.S. Copyright Office
NewsNet

Issue No. 5

February 11, 1998
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For additional information, visit the Copyright Office homepage at http://www.copyright.gov.

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CONTENTS

* News Flashes*

1. Federal Register
      -- Noncommercial Educational Broadcasting Compulsory License
      -- Satellite Carrier Compulsory License; Definition of Unserved
         Household
      -- Office Publishes Seventh List of Notices of Intent to Enforce
         Copyrights Restored Under URAA
      -- Implementation of the Electronic Freedom of Information Act
         Amendments of 1996

2. Legislation News
      -- Copyright Technical Amendments Act (H.R. 672) Signed into Law

3. Copyright Office News
      -- Copyright Office Publishes Circular 92, the Copyright Law of the
         United States, on Website

* Calendar*

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* NEWS FLASHES *

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


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

NONCOMMERCIAL EDUCATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPULSORY LICENSE
(63 FR 2142)
The Copyright Office announced the adoption of final rules governing the
terms and rates of copyright royalty payments with respect to certain
uses by public broadcasting entities of published nondramatic musical
works, and published pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works. The rates
and terms are effective Jan. 1, 1998, through Dec. 31, 2002.

http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/1998/63fr2142.html

SATELLITE CARRIER COMPULSORY LICENSE; DEFINITION OF UNSERVED
HOUSEHOLD (63 FR 3685)
The Copyright Office is opening a rulemaking proceeding to determine the
permissibility, under the satellite compulsory license, of satellite
carriers retransmitting over-the-air broadcast network stations to
subscribers who reside within the local markets of those stations.

OFFICE PUBLISHES SEVENTH LIST OF NOTICES OF INTENT TO ENFORCE
COPYRIGHTS RESTORED UNDER URAA (63 FR 5142)
The Copyright Office published the seventh list of restored copyrights
for which it has received and processed Notices of Intent to Enforce a
copyright restored under the Uruguay Round Agreements Act. This list
includes NIEs filed by copyright owners whose eligibility to file in the
Office expired Dec. 31, 1997. Copyright Office processing continues for
the remainder of NIEs received on or before Dec. 31, 1997.

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ELECTRONIC FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT
AMENDMENTS OF 1996 (63 FR 1926).
The Copyright Office issued final regulations permitting public access
to Office records created on or after Nov. 1, 1996, in electronic
format. These final regulations conform the Office's regulations to the
requirements of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), as amended by the

Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of
1996 (EFOIA).

http://www.copyright.gov/fedreg/1998/63fr1926.html

---------------LEGISLATION NEWS-----------------

COPYRIGHT TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS ACT (H.R. 672) SIGNED INTO LAW
The President signed P.L. 105-80 on Nov. 13. This law gives the
Copyright Office greater discretion to set reasonable fees for its basic
services, after completing an economic study and subject to
congressional approval. The fees were previously set in the statute and
could be adjusted only every fifth year according to changes in the
Consumer Price Index. The law also makes a number of needed technical
changes to the copyright law and clarifies that distribution of a
phonorecord before Jan. 1, 1978, did not constitute publication of the
musical work embodied in the phonorecord, thus reversing the Ninth
Circuit opinion in LaCienega Music Co. v. ZZ Top.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d105:HR00672:|TOM:/bss/d105query.html|

----------------COPYRIGHT OFFICE NEWS-----------------

COPYRIGHT OFFICE PUBLISHES CIRCULAR 92, THE COPYRIGHT LAW OF THE
UNITED STATES, ON WEBSITE
The U.S. Copyright Law as contained in Title 17, U.S.C., is available on
the Copyright Office Website, http://www.copyright.gov. The text is
revised to Sept. 30, 1996, with the exception of the 1994 Satellite Home
Viewer Act, P.L. 103-369, 108 Stat. 3447.1. This text does not include
the Copyright Technical Amendments Act, P.L.105-80, signed into law Nov.
13, 1997, and the No Electronic Theft Act, P.L. 105-147, signed into law
Dec. 16, 1997. http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

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* CALENDAR *

February 25, 1998
Initial comments on definition of unserved household with regard to the
satellite carrier compulsory license due in Copyright Office.

March 27, 1998
Reply comments on definition of unserved household with regard to the
satellite carrier compulsory license due in Copyright Office.

April 17, 1998
Publication date in Federal Register of eighth list of Notices of Intent
to enforce a copyright restored under the URAA.

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