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U.S. Copyright Office
NewsNet

March 1, 1999
Issue 40
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For additional information, visit the Copyright Office Website at
http://www.copyright.gov. See also http://thomas.loc.gov/ or the
House Judiciary's Website at http://www.house.gov/judiciary

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CONTENTS

*Legislative News*

Coble Introduces Copyright Compulsory License Improvement Act;
Holds Hearing

*Calendar*

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*LEGISLATIVE NEWS*

COBLE INTRODUCES COPYRIGHT COMPULSORY LICENSE IMPROVEMENT ACT
Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Courts and
Intellectual Property, introduced H.R. 768 on Feb. 23, "The Copyright
Compulsory License Improvement Act." He scheduled a hearing on the bill
for Thursday, Feb. 25, at 10 a.m. at 2237 Rayburn House Office Building.
The Copyright Office testified.
Among its provisions, the bill creates a new, royalty free,
compulsory license at section 122 of title 17 for the retransmission of
television broadcast stations by satellite carriers to subscribers
located within the local markets. It extends the current section 119
satellite compulsory license until Dec. 31, 2004. It also reduces the
royalty fee rates adopted last year by the Librarian of Congress for the
retransmission of network and superstation signals by satellite carriers
under the 119 license and eliminates the 90-day waiting period from
termination of cable service to eligibility for such signals. The
section 119 license is extended to cover the copyrighted programming
carried on Public Broadcasting's national satellite feed. The license
also is amended to make it contingent upon full compliance with FCC
rules and regulations.

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* CALENDAR *

March 8: Comments due on the proposed amendments to the regulations
governing royalty distribution and rate adjustment proceedings
prescribed by the Copyright Royalty Tribunal Reform Act of 1993 (64 FR
3746)

April 1: Reply comments due on interim regulations on requirements by
which a copyright owner or its agent may provide notice to libraries and
archives that a published work in the final 20 years of its extended
term of copyright is subject to normal commercial exploitation or that a
copy or phonorecord of the work can be obtained at a reasonable price
(63 FR 71785)

April 5: Reply comments due on the proposed amendments to the
regulations governing royalty distribution and rate adjustment
proceedings prescribed by the Copyright Royalty Tribunal Reform Act of
1993 (64 FR 3055 and 64 FR 3746)

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